F1 investigating Massa start
2010-09-03 09:44
F1's governing body is investigating how Felipe Massa escaped a penalty despite jumping the start of last Sunday's 2010 Belgian GP.
As the cars lined up on the Spa-Francorchamps grid BBC commentator Martin Brundle noticed that the Brazilian's Ferrari's nose was about "two metres" ahead of its starting box and a spectator's amateur footage, posted on video sharing website YouTube, backed Brundle's observation.
Yet the race director, stewards, rival teams and drivers apparently didn't notice or report Massa's head start.
The Telegraph in the UK said the FIA has launched an investigation into how Massa escaped without a drive-through penalty.
The report said the transponder on the floor of Massa's F10 did not send a signal to the tarmac sensor because he was too far out of position; the marshals didn't alert the race director either.
"As no further information or complaints were received before the publication of the official result on Sunday night, the classification of the Belgian GP will stand," an FIA spokeswoman said.
"The FIA is investigating the causes of the apparent failures in communication with race control to ensure a repetition is not possible," she added.
