Massa: Canada disqualification unfair

Massa and Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella were shown the black flag for leaving the pitlane when the red light was still on, but the Brazilian reckons the person in charge of changing the light to green was too slow.

Formula One's sporting rules state that, "... while the safety car is in operation competing cars may enter the pitlane but may only rejoin the track when the green light at the end of the pit lane is on. It will be on at all times except when the safety car and the line of cars following it are about to pass or are passing the pit exit."

Massa believes the last car had already passed the exit when he left the pitlane.

"I think for sure, my opinion is that the rules are the rules," Massa told reporters at Indianapolis. "It was a mistake from the driver because I didn't watch the light.

"It was a mistake from the team because they didn't tell me to watch the light - and for sure it will never happen again because we have put it on our checklist.

"But I think it was maybe also something wrong with the procedure. The rules say you need to wait until the last car passes the line, but I go out of the box and I am the last car.

"And the light was red. That is why for me also maybe the guy who works the light was not quick enough.

"That is not fair also, because you disqualify two cars that are fighting for a good position. There are so many circumstances around that happened that if the rules are like that, we made a mistake, but someone was not quick enough to put the light at the right moment."