Ferrari denies need for ‘lollipop’ return

(GMM) Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali has defended claims that pitstop problems at Valencia prove the team should abandon its unique practice of no longer using a 'lollipop man' at races.

The Italian outfit has for some time relied on a novel system of lights, where key mechanics press buttons when eventually the driver is shown the 'green' and speeds off.

But on Sunday, not only was race winner Felipe Massa controversially released into the path of another car following a pitstop, teammate Kimi Raikkonen jumped his green light during the refueling process and injured a mechanic.

To tackle the Massa situation, however, Domenicali told reporters after the race that one mechanic's job is to delay the shining of the green light if it is unsafe for the driver to pull away.

And the Italian also denied claims that Raikkonen got confused due to the lack of a physical 'lollipop' in his path.

"When there is a red light, it's a red light; it's like the lollipop is down," Domenicali said.