Felipe Massa misfortune continues in Singapore

Felipe Massa's misfortune at the Singapore Grand Prix continued on Saturday when his Ferrari shuddered to a halt in the first round of qualifying, leaving him at the back of the grid for Sunday's race.  

Massa qualified in pole position for the city state's inaugural night race in 2008 but went from first to last after a nightmare pit stop left his car trailing a broken fuel hose down the pit lane. 

The Brazilian then missed last year's race while recovering from head injuries sustained in a freak accident in Hungary.                                           

After failing to post a qualifying time on Saturday Massa will start 24th on the grid, 23 places behind team mate and pole sitter Fernando Alonso. Championship leader Mark Webber of Red Bull was fifth quickest.

"I had a problem with the gearbox which seized unexpectedly without giving any warning and so I had to stop out on the track," said Massa whose car brought qualifying to a temporary halt before cranes lifted it off the track.                                           

"I like this track but it seems it does not bring me much luck." 

Out of the championship race 63 points behind leader Webber, Massa will be hard pressed to get among the points in Sunday's race through the tight city streets of Singapore.

"I'm expecting a very complicated race, especially as we are at a track where overtaking is very difficult, but it's true anything can always happen -- rain, safety car, who knows?"