Ferrari's Massa to lose 10 places on Sepang grid

SEPANG, Malaysia, March 16 (Reuters) Ferrari's Felipe Massa will lose 10 places on the starting grid for Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix after his car's engine was replaced.

The 24-year-old Brazilian qualified second for last weekend's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, his first race in the famous red colours, before spinning on lap eight and ending up ninth.

His chances of making immediate amends looked slim on today after a Ferrari spokesman confirmed that he would need a new engine for Sunday's race at Sepang, where temperatures sometimes reach 50 degrees Celsius.

Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve of BMW, Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella and Red Bull's David Coulthard will also be relegated down the grid after falling foul of the regulation that engines must last two races.

Coulthard said the rule, introduced as a cost-cutting measure, should be reviewed as it worked against the principle of grand prix racing and encouraged drivers to retire from races.

''I have consistently said that (we should) take away this handicap formula as much as possible,'' said the 34-year-old Scot.

''This should be about the fastest cars, the guys who have done the best job during an individual grand prix weekend.

''If I had stopped just before the chequered flag, then obviously I wouldn't have had a penalty here... but because I crossed the line, 10th place, no points, I get a penalty.'' REUTERS PDS BST1654