Felipe Massa may have romped to victory in Sunday’s European Grand Prix at Valencia, but it wasn’t all plain sailing for the Brazilian after stewards called the win into question by investigating his near coming-together with Adrian Sutil in the pit-lane.

Kimi Raikkonen’s engine failure at Valencia, which was triggered by a broken con rod – the same problem that caused Felipe Massa to retire in a cloud of smoke at Hungary – did not come as a complete surprise, Ferrari have disclosed.

Kimi Raikkonen has admitted that his disastrous pit-stop which saw him injure the refuelling mechanic was entirely his fault. The current F1 world champion moved from his pit box too early whilst the fuel nozzle was still attached to his car. His actions caused the mechanic to be hit by both the refuelling rig and the rear tyre of Raikkonen’s car.

Fernando Alonso has become the latest Renault-powered driver to attribute Toro Rosso’s performance edge at Valencia to the grunt of its engine, hinting that Renault and engine customers Red Bull Racing are being disadvantaged.

Lewis Hamilton almost had to sit out Sunday’s European Grand Prix after battling with neck spasms and flu-like symptoms throughout the weekend.

The news was revealed after Hamilton followed Felipe Massa to the chequered flag to take second at the inaugural Grand Prix at Valencia.

Jarno Trulli underlined Toyota’s step forward in performance with a solid charge to fifth place in Sunday’s European Grand Prix at Valencia, while Hungary star Timo Glock also made it into the points having been compromised at the start.

In October 1991, Nigel Mansell was on the brink of losing the World Championship having had a comfortable lead and certain victory thrown away by another pit lane drama in the Portugese Grand Prix at Estoril. He lost one of his wheels after what appeared to be a smooth and tidy pitstop and was later given the black flag. The next stop after Portugal was Spain, but this time the venue was not Jerez. The F1 circus was about to visit a brand new purpose built circuit near Barcelona, the Circuit de Catalunya.

Ferrari have been fined 10,000 Euro for Felipe Massa’s pit-stop, with the Brazilian driver receiving no further punishment.

Massa’s victory in Valencia was in doubt after stewards announced they would be investigating his second pit-stop after he was released into the pit-lane at the same time as Sutil was passing his pit-box, with the pair almost clashing.

It was a welcome return to the podium for BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica at Valencia, but it wasn’t all plain sailing for the Polish star after a plastic bag managed to attach itself to his F1.08 mid race.

An ecstatic Sebastian Vettel screamed down the pit radio as he took sixth place for Toro Rosso in Sunday’s European Grand Prix at Valencia.

His fifth place at Monaco may stand as his best result on paper, but with the chaos thrown up by the safety car largely to blame for that result, his assault on the streets of Valencia today - resulting in sixth place - was undoubtedly his finest performance to date.