DHL Fastest Lap: Massa Charges Hard for Maiden Win

Williams driver Filipe Massa was in the thick of some thrilling action at the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend in Montreal, leading the pack at one point and grabbing the DHL Fastest Lap before an accident in the final lap forced him to retire.

Click play above to watch cockpit footage of Filipe Massa’s Fastest Lap and DHL’s F1® Expert and former F1 driver Christian Danner tell the story behind it.

As if Brazilians didn’t need more excitement just days before the start of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil! Filipe Massa gave his countrymen a wild ride on Sunday in Montreal, proving that, despite Mercedes’ dominance, the 2014 Formula 1 season is far from over.

Starting from P5 behind teammate and F1 rookie Valtteri Bottas, Massa fought his way relentlessly through the field after dropping to P13 during his first pit stop in Lap 15 . His masterful driving paid off and by Lap 46 the Williams driver was leading – a sensational effort that sent fans roaring.

Forced to pit two laps later, Massa fell back to P7 only to charge back out onto the track to catch up to the leaders. In Lap 58 the Brazilian piloted a fine Fastest Lap, rounding the 4.361-km Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in 1:18.504. The precision performance put him in P5 – not a bad place to be when you’re running a fast car.

“I was one of the quickest guys on the track, so we lost many points today.” (Filipe Massa)

Up front the action was just as exciting as Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo breezed by an ailing Nico Rosberg of Mercedes to take the lead and eventually the checkered flag.

His Williams FW36 was fast and Massa knew it. At the start of the final lap, he lined up to pass Sergio Perez in Turn 1 but caught the back of the Force India, which sent both cars into the tires. Both Massa and Perez walked away without a scratch, but Massa was certainly left with scar on the season.

“I was one of the quickest guys on the track, so we lost many points today,” he said after the race. “I’m so disappointed […] because I think maybe we could even have fought for victory today. But it shows we have a good car and I’m convinced the next race will be better.”

Christian Danner couldn’t agree more: Massa was on a “late charge through the field on a fresh stet of tires on his way to the podium unless he had an accident. That was very sad for Filipe."

Yet his effort didn’t go unrewarded and the Brazilian leaves Canada with one DHL Fastest Lap on the season. He joins as star cast in Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen.

Williams certainly looked good this weekend in Montreal, qualifying on P4 and P5 and a 7th place finish on Sunday with Valtteri Bottas. We don’t think this is the last we’ll see of Massa after his maiden Fastest Lap win.

See all Danner’s Fastest Lap Tips and Reviews!
Christian Danner shares the Fastest Lap story with us each week and you can have a look back at his past picks and reviews at any time on DHL's YouTube channel.?Before and after each Grand Prix™ this season, Christian Danner offers up his pick for the DHL Fastest Lap and then reviews that perfect lap after the race. “One thing that is so cool about the fastest lap,” says Danner, “is that there’s always a story behind the story.” Click here to keep pace with what is happening in Formula 1 on the DHL Motorsports Stream at DHL InMotion!