Felipe Massa fully deserved his drive-through penalty at the Indian Grand Prix, according to the driver steward that weekend, Johnny Herbert.
The former Formula 1 driver is adamant that the Brazilian knew where Lewis Hamilton was, and failed to leave necessary room to avoid an accident, despite Massa claiming innocence.
The Ferrari driver said immediately after the race, that he didn’t understand why he had been punished, firmly placing the blame of long-term rival, Hamilton.
“I don’t understand why I have the penalty,” confessed Massa. “I braked later than him, I was in front and on the grippier part of the circuit and I didn’t see him on the left. So he was behind and he touched my rear wheel.”
Writing in his column for The National though, Herbert took the time to explain his reasoning behind the penalty.
“The decision to penalise Felipe Massa for his contact with Lewis Hamilton came down to one simple fact – it could have been avoided,” wrote the 47-year-old.
“I know Massa was upset by our decision, but I believe we made the right call. After looking at it from different camera angles and studying all the data available to us, it was clear that Massa knew where Hamilton was before he chose to turn across him.
“There was nothing Hamilton could have done to avoid it. He did try to get out of the move, but it was too late and the contact was made.”
