The opening day of practice at the Circuit de Monaco was disappointing for Felipe Massa.
The Williams Martini Racing driver had Free Practice 1 cut short after he crashed into the barriers at Ste Devote, a corner where previously has ended races for him. At the 2013 Monaco Grand Prix, he collided with the barriers in Free Practice 3 and the race on Sunday.
Before the incident, the Brazilian set a seventh fastest lap time of 1:18.746 but finished the session in nineteenth after he was unable to return to the track. This incident led to a late start to his FP2 session but Massa managed to set a time of 1:17.286 to go sixteenth fastest.
Massa sees the Monaco Grand Prix as a special weekend and hopes to perform well for his fans.
“It was a difficult morning, losing so much time in the session when I could have been driving,” said Massa. “I missed a lot of laps, and we know in Monaco it is important to be on the track all the time you can.
“It was not a very good afternoon for us. We struggled to get good lap times. We’re missing grip and traction, so we need to work on the car to try to improve and make it more competitive for this track, especially for the race.
“It is a very special weekend where I always enjoy driving, seeing the fans and how special this race is for them – so I hope we can do well for them.”
