Massa hit with five-place grid penalty

©WRI2

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Williams' Felipe Massa will be demoted five sports on tomorrow's Belgian GP grid following a yellow flag infringement in this morning's free practice session.

It's been a difficult weekend for the Brazilian so far. Returning to action at Spa after sitting out the Hungarian GP when he fell ill, Massa crashed in FP1, a mishap which deprived him of track time in FP2.

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This morning, Massa failed to slow for double-waved flags in the session. After hearing the driver's testimony, the FIA stewards handed a five-spot grid penalty to the Williams driver.

The decision stipulated that they had "reviewed video/telemetry evidence which clearly showed that the driver made no attempt to significantly reduce his speed in the area of the double waved yellow flags."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.