Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has unsurprisingly come out in support of Felipe Massa after he was handed a drive-through in Brazil for repeatedly cutting across the pit entry.
However the Italian also claims that rival driver Lewis Hamilton was unfairly punished after he too was given a drive-through for causing an avoidable collision.
He isn’t the first to publicly condemn the race stewards. Both Felipe Massa and team principal Stefano Domenicali described the Brazilian’s penalty as harsh, whilst Mercedes were confused but accepted Hamilton’s.
Montezemolo though, not one to shy away from making his feelings heard publicly, warned that “ridiculous and anachronistic” decisions could jeopardise the sport’s credibility.
“I think it [the penalty] was disproportionate and unjust, as was Hamilton’s,” he said during an interview with Italian television.
“If Felipe had stayed in fourth place, we would have been second in the Constructors’ championship.
“Every so often, the gentlemen who come to the races to act as Stewards make decisions that are a bit ridiculous and anachronistic. One needs to be careful that we maintain credibility, for the work of the teams that invest money and for the drivers who risk their lives.”
The 66-year-old also took the opportunity to hail Sebastian Vettel’s efforts, though questioned comments made by Ecclestone about him being the greatest driver and also cast opinion on comments about Christian Horner succeeding him at Formula One Management.
“Better than Senna? Ecclestone says what suits him but there is no doubt he [Vettel] is a great driver,” he added. “He is a serious young man who has won a lot and therefore he deserves respect.
“Vettel at Ferrari? Who knows what the future holds? But for now, drivers are definitely not a problem for us.”
He then added: “Ecclestone sees Horner as his successor? As the years go by, he more and more enjoys making jokes and I’m happy he still has the desire to do so…”
