http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96963
I would like to see Massa regain his winning form and he needs it this season more than any other since I heard that Ferrari signed Sergio Perez for 2013.
You did? Source? I'd be very, very surprised if true - He seems OK, but definitely not ready for the big leagues as yet. Maybe Mr Slim is offering mega bucks to buy him the seat, but Ferrari don't generally take pay drivers these days. Cheers, Ian
My only source Ian was an announcement on WindTunnel last season and this article: http://www.autoevolution.com/news/ferrari-signs-deal-with-sauber-s-sergio-perez-28335.html#image1 I realize nothing has been announced officialy so it is still just speculation at this point.
First time post here on Fchat. I'm a big F1 fan supporting Red Bull, although I am a fan of the sport as well. Anyway I hope Felipe can find his 2008 form and surpass it. If I were him, team orders be damned. I would do what I need to do to finish ahead of Alonso, especially since he has to prove he is worth his salt as a Ferrari driver this season according to LdM.
Honestly, I think Massa lost his edge after the spring incident. I don't think he has that extra twitch that he had prior to that incident. His timing has not been the same - his aggression level has not been the same and when he does get into a situation where he needs to push he either backs off or over-drives the situation and wads it. This is not a criticism - just an observation. I raced MRA/AMA superbikes and suffered a pretty hairy crash. Although I wanted and tried to regain what competitive form I had I never really got it back. Take my experience 100000x into the competitiveness and talent level of F1 and all it takes is something like the Hungary incident to knock off the necessary competitive edge to perform at that level on that team. I would like to see a young driver like Kobiyashi or Perez join Ferrari alongside Alonso so there is a clear 1-2 driver setup and some mentoring opportunity for the youger driver as well as putting Ferrari in a more strategic situation going forward. I keep hearing about a third car for Ferrari - any truth to that?
He has one last, very last chance to prove himself. The key factor is keeping cool and not to crumble under pressure. I'm pretty sure he can do it. But, i won't feel sorry if he repeats last season's performance and he's shown the door.
I completely agree. And I don't mean it as a criticism of Massa either. Hopefully he can focus and regain his form this season, but if he does not, I also agree about the need to bring along a driver like Perez or Kobayashi. I like the idea of Alonso being the clear #1 driver and serving as a mentor to one of the aforementioned drivers.
rosberg was mentioned as a replacment for massa a short time ago....... massa certainly knows that hes on notice..... good luck to him
Last season Team orders had nothing to do with it, he simply wasn't fast enough all season to finish ahead of Alonso and this season is going to be more of the same. Massa talks a good season but deja Vu anyone? (From: http://paddocktalk.com/news/html/story-153842.html Dated: Feb 23, 2011) : Felipe Massa has revealed he is feeling "super confident" ahead of the 2011 season. The Brazilian insists his difficult season with Ferrari last year was mainly due to his not liking the characteristics of the Bridgestone tyres. Indeed, ever since Massa began testing on this season's Pirellis, he has been back on the pace -- including by recording the standout fastest time at the most recent Barcelona test. "I turned the car upside down to see if the tyres really are working for me," he said in an interview with O Estada de S.Paulo newspaper. Massa, who according to the interviewer is "visibly excited" about 2011, confirmed: "I am much more in control of the car and know what I can do with it." Describing his problems of last year, he explained: "I couldn't get everything out of the car after trying everything. There was no way to be happy, and happiness is very important, especially with this sort of job. "It was hard going to a race knowing what would happen. Now, everything changed after three laps with these new tyres," said Massa. He confirmed claims that Ferrari is looking "very competitive" for the 2011 season. "I had good results with Schumacher in the team, great with Kimi and then a horrible year with Alonso. But it was horrible because the car didn't work for me," said Massa. This sums up Massa's pre-season talk to Me: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2D5SK5FCM4&feature=related[/ame]
