Felipe Massa has called on the FIA to penalise Mercedes driver’s Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg if they continue to force a slow formation lap.
Prior to the start of the race, a single formation lap is completed to ensure all systems are okay for the race start. The pole position driver dictates the pace of the lap and at present nothing in the regulations stipulates how fast or slow it must be.
Massa however admitted he was unhappy with the speed in which Rosberg completed the formation lap at the British Grand Prix as it caused him to stop twice which overheated his clutch.
“They [Mercedes] go slow for a reason, sometimes it’s not good for the other teams,” he said.
“I’m sure if you check, our formation lap in the last race [Austria] when we were in front, it was much quicker than the normal races [where Mercedes have been on pole].”
The Brazilian revealed that Charlie Whiting has addressed the issue in the drivers briefing, but has failed to penalise anyone because of it.
“The FIA are saying we can’t go so slow, but they are not penalising anybody,” he explained.
“We always complain, there has been a lot already in drivers briefing. Charlie said he was going to look at that but he’s not given any penalties.”
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