Felipe Massa has hit out at the new teams joining Formula 1 this season, suggesting that their relatively slow pace is bad for the championship and could pose a danger for the frontrunners.
Massa's Ferrari team has been strongly critical of the way the increased F1 entry was handled, and the Brazilian said the newcomers' lack of speed is a concern for him, too.
"I hope they won't be a danger," said Massa in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reprinted on Ferrari's website. "There are six or seven teams one second apart while those teams are four seconds behind. It's not good for the sport and not good for them: it's like two different series. They'll suffer. And we'll suffer, too, when we have them in front of us during qualifying."
Lotus and Virgin were several seconds off the pace in preseason testing, but are confident they will get up to speed given time and mileage, while fellow newcomer Hispania will not run until Bahrain next weekend.