Massa surprised by McLaren's pace

Ferrari's Felipe Massa said his team were stunned by the pace of McLaren's Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, who scored a one-two finish at the Malaysian Grand Prix. Massa started on pole position but by the time he exited the first corner had...

Ferrari's Felipe Massa said his team were stunned by the pace of McLaren's Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, who scored a one-two finish at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Massa started on pole position but by the time he exited the first corner had dropped to third place after Alonso and Hamilton surged past him.

The Brazilian tried to attack Hamilton, almost taking him on the third lap, before sliding off the track briefly on the fifth. Massa eventually finished in fifth place.

"Yes, I am surprised at the pace of the McLarens," Massa told reporters.

"I'm not surprised that they were in front because they have a fantastic team with two great drivers, but I am surprised at how fast they were.

"It just means that we have to work harder to try and stay in front of them."

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.