Williams Martini Racing driver Felipe Massa will require a change of chassis following his crash in the first free practice session of the weekend on Friday morning, and is unlikely to make it out in time to complete any running in the free practice two session later today.
The Brazilian caused this morning’s session to be red flagged after getting onto the kerb at Turn 7, losing control of the FW40, and hitting the tyre wall. Although the 36-year-old was unhurt in the incident, the impact caused damage to the left hand side of Massa’s car.
Having inspected the destruction once the machine had been returned to the garage, it soon became clear to the Williams mechanics that a new chassis would be required, and a busy afternoon was ahead of them, as a spokesperson for the Grove based squad explained.
“We are going to have to change the chassis. It’s not a short job but they are working as quickly as possible.
“We’ll try to get some track time in FP2 but it is a long shot to be honest.”
Also tweeting that they would be working like the clappers to try to get the Brazilian some time on track.
Massa returned to racing this weekend, after sitting out the final grand prix before the summer break in Hungary, having suffered from Vertigo, causing him to feel sick and dizzy during practice on the Friday.
On that occasion, reserve driver Paul Di Resta stood in for the Brazilian, but having been cleared to take part in this weekend’s action by medical staff, this would not have been the start to proceedings that he or the team were hoping for.
