BTW: Ralf Schumacher already wrote him off: In an interview he said, that Ferrari should now choose their #1 driver for the rest of the season and that should be Kimi. <Ralfie ducking under the table>
+1 Agreed, you must have read my previous post. It would be quite a long shot for Massa to win the WDC.
I agree. I'm in no way a Massa purist, but come on fella's, he's won two races this year for Ferrari. And I'm tired of hearing about Vettel. That kid needs to finish more than one lap to be considered as the second coming as many people are saying. As long as Massa is competing (and winning) for the Red and White, why don't we get off this kids case. Then next year when he is replaced because the press is crucifying him, everyone can complain about the next driver. It's a never ending cycle of fans not being happy with what they have...
Most? You use that word way to much. There you go stretching the truth again. I am beginning to think this is Ted with two FChat ID's, the truth is irrelevant in either case. Please tell me where Massa has not helped Ferrari win the WCC. In 2007, it was Kimi that dropped the ball, I mean the Bridgestone. Make you case in three+ years when Massa has spent the same amount of time at Ferrari as Rubens has (3 seasons to 6 seasons).
Completely and utterly ridiculous. Rubens has multiple runner-up finishes in the WDC, Massa has none. Rubens delivered multiple WCCs to the team, Massa has none Rubens has beaten his teammates on multiple occasions, Massa has none. Rubens has pole positions and fastest laps in machinery other than a Ferrar, Massa has none. Rubens has podium finishes in machinery other than a Ferrari, Massa has none. Rubens has beaten Schumacher in races where Schumacher did not have mechanical problems, Massa has none. Rubens is the closest teammate to Schumacher in terms of lap times, Massa is not. By what possible metric could you even remotely conclude that Massa is mathematically superior to Rubens?!? That statement is utterly ridiculous.
Ted, I'm not concerned with how consistent Rubens was compared to Massa, or how Massa was beaten at Sauber, in the past. Yes, I would agree with all that, but its in the past. What I'm saying, is that RIGHT NOW, Massa has the ability to be blindingly quick. He is able to out qualify and beat Raikkonen, on occasion. Like he did at Bahrain and Turkey? This, combined with the Ferrari, will allow him to win several races this year.
+1 to both. It's not a surprise at all tha Massa did well these last few races. It's to be expected that some are claiming that he's a WDC contender. For me, the real test for Massa starts in Monaco. Unfortunately, almost the entire rest of the seasons tracks do not suit Massa and I feel that these seven points are as close as he will ever get to Kimi. Can Massa be this seasons WDC?? IMO, no. There are just too many much better drivers around him including his teammate. Kimi is in a whole other level of driving and racing skill than Massa. Kimi's skill flatters the Ferrari while the Ferrari flatters Massa. However, Massa's a driver for my favorite team, therefore I really hope Massa can keep it together and do well the rest of the season. Hopefully he can finish higher than 4th this year and help Ferrari win the WCC. Also, I'm very interested to find out how Ted's and Jim's "friendly agreement" ends up.
Massa sure didn't deliver in 2006. Massa sure didn't bring the WCC to Ferrari in 2007. Based on points earned on the track, McLaren finished the season with more points than Ferrari. The only reason - the ONLY reason - Ferrari has a WCC is because the FIA disqualified the team from the WCC race and the stewards in Hungary made a ridiculous ruling that virtually every F1 periodical questioned. I fail to see how you could even remotely suggest that Massa in any way delivered a WCC to the team when the other 3 drivers all finished within a point of each other and Massa was some 20 opoints back. If anything last season showed exactly how much of a liability a one-day wonder like Massa is. He shines on one track and finishes 13th on another. What the team needs is a driver who maximizes points at every opportunity and not wins on one track and spins off in a completely unforced error the next.
Yeah so am I. I find it interesting that you guys seem to think that Massa can only win at: Bahrain, Turkey, Spain and Interlagos. He'll win at tracks you guys don't expect, if not by skill then by pure luck. Also, are we not forgetting the wild card races? Valencia and Singapore?
His average and wins should actually be a lot higher than this. Kimi was robbed over the course of 2 seasons by an unreliable Mclaren of at least 4-5 wins and even more podium or points scoring positions.
Did you read Mark Hughes article on Massa in Autosport? Sure, Massa looked good in Bahrain and Turkey, those are the only tracks (along with Brazil) that he has shown any speed on. He will disappear on other tracks and score little if any points, especially if he reverts back to his mediocre form in the first two races of this year. I am surprised (well, maybe not) that the same folks who wanted to play wait & see when Massa was the laughing stock of F1 in the first two races are now ready to coronate him as Schumacher's heir after only two more... I played wait & see, now you should too. I guarantee you the results won't be pretty.
I wouldn't want to stake my money on Massa's performance on virgin tracks. You are much better off going with Hamilton in that instance. Massa will be nowhere on either track.
To be honest this constant Massa-bashing starts to be slightly nauseating . What do you have against the guy that you feel the constant need to pillory him? Has he run off with you wife or something? The guy has achieved already much more than many drivers on the grid, so what's the beef with him. eh? Missing Montoya and Ralf already?
I'd certainly like to be Ted, and have some of that 10 grand he is going to collect at the end of the season.
That is a good point. I'm not one who thinks that Massa can ONLY win at Turkey, Spain, Bahrain and Interlagos. However, the reason why I feel that "luck" and the other "wildcard races" are such slim chances for Massa to win are not simply due to his racing skill. It's mainly due to the skill level of his teammate who's driving the same car. IMO, that's Massa's biggest problem in winning more races.
Some more interesting statistics: Rubens: Wins: 9 Poles: 13 Fastest Laps 16 Podiums: 61 Runner-up rankings in the WDC: 2 Poles in cars other than a Ferrari: 2 Podiums in cars other than Ferrari: 5 Teammates Beaten: All but 2, Michael Schumacher and Jensen Button Massa: Wins: 7 Poles: 11 Fastest Laps: 8 Podiums: 20 Runner-up rankings in the WDC: 0 Poles in cars other than a Ferrari: 0 Podiums in cars other than Ferrari: 0 Teammates Beaten: None
2006, Massa is mediocre the entire year and Ferrari ends up losing the WCC by 5 points. MS fights his heart out to earn second. Massa scored 41 points less than MS and finished 3 races out of the points despite having a top car. If Ferrari keeps Rubens, they win the 2006 WCC.
so you really think Massa woln't win 2 races in the next 13? You do realize he's in a Ferrari, right?
You did see the last race, yes? That McLaren had no business finishing second and yet Hamilton managed to do exactly that. Who was it who said: "If you can finish second, you can win"? Oh yes...Enzo Ferrari.
Yeah, Lewis is brilliant. We both agree on this. Mclaren is currently on the back foot though, and according to Massa, Ferrari has been preparing for Monaco since last year. The edge is definately with Ferrari.
Absolutely, the Ferrari is definitely the class of the field...which makes Hamilton's performance that much more impressive.
