Alonso and Massa in road rage

2007-07-22 22:27

Nurburgring, Germany - Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa were involved in a heated exchange after the Spaniard dramatically won the European Grand Prix on Sunday.

World champion Alonso, in a McLaren, overtook Massa's Ferrari as the rain came down in the closing stages of the race with the two cars coming together twice before the Brazilian was forced to yield and accept second place.

Immediately afterwards Alonso confronted Massa, angrily accusing him of deliberately making contact and nearly causing an accident.

However, Alonso later accepted that he had overreacted in the heat of the moment.

"I apologise if I said anything to him, because it's motor racing and it's a fight," said the double world champion.

"We finished the race, so I don't want to talk any more about this and I want to enjoy the win.

"The racing line was getting drier so to overtake you needed to go a little bit on the outside or the inside, on the wet part. We touched each other two times and I was so stressed.

"I was not too happy at the end of the race because we touched each other but, five minutes later on the podium I realised that this is motor racing."

Massa, who admitted that second place had left a bitter taste, accepted Alonso's apology.

"I was really surprised when he came to say that I did that on purpose," Massa said.

"I would never do something like that on purpose, so if he was a little bit unhappy, it's not my problem. But if he has apologised then that's fine. He knows he was not right after the race."

- AFP