» How did Massa escape a penalty?

Amateur footage from the grandstands alongside the Spa-Francorchamps have shown that Felipe Massa had a clear head-start on his rivals as the race got underway at last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.

The footage, which has been posted to YouTube and attracted over 50,000 hits in a single day, clearly shows the Ferrari driver overshooting his grid slot by “some two metres” as observed by BBC commentator Martin Brundle.

Incredibly, the Brazilian escaped any sanction from the FIA stewards as no rival team brought it to their attention.

Additionally, electronic grid sensors are meant to detect any incorrect positioning of the car on the grid, in addition to a competitor making a jump-start.

Massa was able to gain two places from his starting position on the opening lap, and avoided the drive-through penalty that would be customary for that type of indiscretion.

Ferrari’s post-race press release neither made mention of his start-line error nor his first-lap gain in positions.

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