Ferrari to use "lollipop" after Singapore fiasco

MILAN (Reuters) - Ferrari will use the 'lollipop' to tell drivers when to leave the pits in Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix after their traffic light system caused chaos in Singapore.

Felipe Massa, battling with championship leader Lewis Hamilton for the title, had his race in the city-state ruined when he drove from the pits with the fuel hose still attached after a mechanic made the light go green by mistake.

Ferrari's light system usually works automatically when the fuel hose is removed from the car, but in Singapore it was in manual mode.

"In this moment we need tranquillity and therefore we prefer to go back to the old system," team boss Stefano Domenicali told reporters.

Other teams still use the lollipop, which a team member holds in front of a driver before the pit stop is completed.

McLaren's Hamilton leads Brazilian Massa by seven points with three races left. The final grand prix is in Brazil on November 2.

(Writing by Mark Meadows; Editing by Peter Rutherford)