Toro Rosso driver Sebastien Bourdais was slapped with a 25 second penalty on Sunday, dropping him to 10th at the Japanese Grand Prix and elevating Ferrari’s Felipe Massa to seventh.
The Frenchman was penalised for making contact with Massa’s car.
Bourdais was rejoining the race after his second pit stop on lap 50 when Massa attempted to pass around the outside at turn One.
Massa, who had himself been given a drive-through penalty during the race for shunting McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton on lap two, was promoted from eighth to seventh as a result.
“I did everything I could not to run into him,” complained Bourdais. “He just squeezed and turned and behaved like I didn’t exist, like I wasn’t there. What am I supposed to do?”
Bourdais was furious that race stewards blamed him instead of Massa, who is now just five points behind Hamilton in the world championship with two races left.
“For me it’s very clear. Yes, I exit the pits, yes I’m supposed to be careful and I was,” he said. “I stayed inside and I didn’t push him out, I didn’t overshoot the corner.
“It’s just a little bit of respect. You give each other room and then everything goes right but if you don’t, there’s going to be an incident.”
Bourdais, who has taken just four points this season, insisted Massa should have been more attentive given his position in the Formula One title race.
“Fighting for the championship you just don’t take unnecessary risks like this,” said Bourdais. “You’ve got everything to lose and nothing to gain.
The penalty means Bourdais’ team mate Sebastian Vettel moves up to sixth place ahead of Massa, while Red Bull’s Mark Webber picks up a point for eighth. It also means Lewis Hamilton’s championship lead over Massa is cut to just five points.
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