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Felipe Massa saddened by F1 personnel attacks in Brazil

Local hero Felipe Massa says he is saddened by the spate of attacks on Formula 1 personnel this weekend, with Sauber the latest team to suffer an incident on Saturday night.

Mercedes team members were subject to an armed robbery near the track on Friday night, with Williams and FIA personnel also coming face-to-face with gun carrying criminals.

On Saturday night, robbers tried to stop a minibus carrying Sauber team members - but the crew's driver was able to escape.

Although Brazilian Grand Prix organisers have promised "heavy" police reinforcements for race day, the number of problems faced by personnel over the weekend has increased pressure on F1 and race organisers to improve the situation in the future.

Massa, who is from Sao Paulo, said he was especially upset by the events that had happened over the past few days

Asked if he was ashamed for Brazil, he said: "Undoubtedly, I think we all feel like this. We always expect the best for our country.

"A safe country that we can educate our children, good hospitals and when we hear problems like this, it is very sad.

"Because you are Brazilian, you are feeling part of the problem.

"So it is a great sadness, not only for people who came and were there, but also for those who hear this and are Brazilian. In the future we can change this."

Zdroj: autosport.com