Williams forced into chassis change after Massa crash

Williams has confirmed that Felipe Massa requires a new Formula 1 chassis for the remainder of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend after crashing during opening practice at Spa on Friday morning.

On his first flying lap of the day, Massa ran wide at Malmedy and slammed into the barrier at speed, causing damage to the right-hand side of his Williams FW40 car.

Massa was forced to go to the medical centre as a precaution, but was quickly cleared, although his car was less fortunate as Williams began to assess the repair job required.

Williams confirmed via Twitter that it would be changing Massa’s chassis following the crash. With regulations stating a new chassis cannot be run until it is given the all clear by the FIA, Massa will not be back on track in FP2.

Chassis change for Felipe following his #FP1 crash but the team are working away to get him some track time in #FP2

— WILLIAMS RACING (@WilliamsRacing) August 25, 2017