Jean Todt has said that the Monaco Grand Prix was a ‘rare negative episode’ in the team’s season so far. The team were off the pace in Monte Carlo finishing a minute down on the McLaren duo, a surprise given Massa’s wins at both the Bahrain and French Grands Prix thanks to the team’s superior pace.

“It was one of those rare negative episodes that inevitable occur during a season,” Todt explained.

Massa concurs with Todt, commenting that, “I know that McLaren did not have anything especially new - it was not that they improved, it was that we did not perform at our best. I am convinced that Monaco for us was a one-off.”

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