This one is for all the Massa supporters. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/63633 Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has declared that it was his own personal choice to extend Felipe Massa's contract until the end of 2010. The announcement of Massa's extended deal was greeted with surprise in some quarters as there had been rumours that Fernando Alonso would go to Ferrari either next season or in 2009 should he part company with McLaren. Di Montezemolo offered effusive praise for Alonso earlier this week, but at a Fiat board of directors meeting at Maranello today he insisted that he was completely happy with his current driver line-up - and had been personally responsible for Massa's re-signing. "With all the respect for the other drivers, I won't change my drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa with anyone else. They are the best in the world," he was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport. "Raikkonen came, won the first race and then won the championship. I don't see what more could be asked of him. "Felipe Massa, despite being young, had more pole positions than anyone, he's strong and loyal, and it's not by chance that I personally decided to renew his contract until 2010." Ferrari top brass had praised Massa's loyalty in Brazil after he took the second place that ensured Raikkonen could clinch the drivers' title. The Brazilian had led the majority of the race before falling behind his teammate at the final pitstops.
Luca knows how to build team loyalty... an important ingredient in winning a championship IMVHO. Alonshole is a great driver but a team wrecker. Lewis is still lyal to Dennis the Menace. Luca made a good choice.
Not necessarily. The Speed crew mentioned that he might join the FIA. Maybe LDM and JT compromised . Keep Massa and get Ross Brawn instead of Todt.
+1...he´s the best manager there is in italy, he´s so good Berlusconni wanted him in his government, just like a McNamara...every company he takes over, flourishes, and moreover, gets noted as the best place to work by their employees... Ferrari was the winner within all the italian companies as the best place to work in 2004 and 2005...and thats a worker filled survey. ...now FIAT has come with a HUGE profit last year, even surpassing the japanesse...and this guy is FIAT chairman
To those of you that kept blasting me when I said that Ferrari really wasn't interested in Alonso, and that Massa is considered to be nearly a #1 by all on the team, including Luca and Ross Brawn, irrespective of Todt: get real for once. You are believeing your own BS way too much. Love ya, and continue thinking Hamilton is some sort of superhero, as that also will prove itself wrong in time, but you are way too enamored with Alonso and have not considered Ferrari's desire to have a real TEAM, which Alonso and his ego at this time is not capable of participating. The Italians do not like Alonso after he bashed Schumacher, not gonna drive a Ferrari for a long long time. I never would have made those comments that always get me blasted unless I had some info first that would lead me to that conclusion. Massa will be a WDC.
All this may be true but I can't help distrusting him. He is quite disengenuous and not someone I would ever want to work for.
He's going to have to learn how to work his way through the field then. You can't expect to be at the front and just stay there. He doesn't seem to have the talent to pull that off like say MS. I really don't seem him being gifted enough to change that. It's a mind set
not that reality will affect your mind set but ... he started last twice + finished 5.6 did more passing + sensational at that than anyone else this season.
Massa is a very good driver and could easily have been the WDC this year if a couple of pegs went into the right slot. But besides what he does on the track on race weekends he is also and amazing tester and developer of the car. Face it someone has to do it because Kimi does not want to test. The only reason some on here dont want to see him on our team is because they want alonshole on the team. These people are in nana land because they still dont see want a complete azzhole he is. He would destroy Ferrari. It is nice to see Luca de motzarella say something positive about Massa. This only reinforces the fact that alonshole will not come to Ferrari before 2011 and hopefully never.
They signed Massa to an extension right before the last race so he can be a "team player" and not to challenge Kimi. Or else Massa would have won it in Brasil no matter what.
What do you expect when a driver is put in a Ferrari? It's a top 4 position car and nothing less. It's not like he drove a freaking Honda from the back to 5 or 6. Now that would be incredible. Until then, your example is meaningless.
I think Andreas hit the nail on the head on this subject. Massa is contracted to Ferrari through 2010, but does that mean as an F1 race driver for Ferrari or does it just mean on the payroll? I may be fuzzy in my recollection but wasn't Massa a Ferrari guy before he was a racing driver for the scuderia, and was loaned out to Suber? I could be wrong on that - but he was under Ferrari contract at that time too. How much you wanna bet that they extended with Massa because it gives them options if they ever take on a B-team, it puts pressure on any negotiations they may be having (possibly with Alonso), and it keeps speculation out of the media. Also, while I still believe Massa is clearly #2 in talent and in status next to Kimi, he's probably the very best #2 driver on the grid, and I doubt Ferrari could really do better. Can you imagine if it was Alonso and Kimi at Ferrari? Gawd - what a nuke explosion that would have been. At least since Kimi is the reigning WDC, he can counter any of Alonso's arguments about being 2x WDC by reminding him that he's the reigning WDC And if Alonso says "yeah but just barely" then Kimi can remind him about 2005!
I see what you're saying but it says something about how much he has improved when he has six poles three wins ( he could've had five),four second places and six fastest laps. It's one thing to have the fastest car , it's a totally different thing to take advantage of that and produce results. Granted some people don't think Felipe is the equal of Kimi or Fernando and that's fine,however I like both Kimi and Felipe and I don't see why people need to favour one over the other as long as both are Ferrari drivers, they're racing each other cleanly and are behaving like good teammates should. Let the best one win . Alonso seems to motivate himself when he thinks the whole world (including his team) is against him and that is something I don't want to see in my team. For my money I'll take Felipe over Alonso everytime.
I'm talk'n MS, work your way through the pack and win, talent. Not finish mid way. Although the way F1 is these days maybe that kind of superhuman talent isn't necessary
+1 Amen and hallelujah. Alonso is a one man team, talented yes, but not much more. Ferrari has the BEST pairing out there in my opinion. Stability will bring further results as it did under MS and RB. LH father said yesterday on PlanetF1 that all the other drivers should look out next year, uh huh. What your kid is the only one capable of winning? Its amazing the amount of limelight LH and Co. continue to try to keep. They lost and all bets are off next year, its a new year and nothing is guaranteed. Ferrari have an even better chance because of the stability of the team. Lewis begins to look like Alonso now, a one man team and no one else matters at all.
very well said. Felipe was running for the WDC till Monza, at least. yet, i think he had good respect for the team and Kimi, and they played and raced fairly against each other. unlike both the Mclaren boys, who didn't have a single bit of respect for each other. when Massa was doing better and racing better than Kimi in the 1st half of the year, Kimi would have easily said that the team is favouring Massa, and not him. likewise, the other way round. Massa would have said that the team was favouring Kimster, and not him post Monza race. here's the thing ingredient that Ferrari have that Mclaren seem to lack.
...+1. No wonder McLiaren hasnt won A THING since 1999... that´s 7 years of big badda bum wasted...all in good Rons belt.
