Massa deserves to stay at Ferrari

I agree that Felipe deserves the race seat, but it all comes down to what happens with Michael and Kimi. If those two do come together for next year (which would then most likely be Michael's last), perhaps Massa could be tempted into a test driver role for one year, with a guarantee of a race seat for '08 and beyond. It would the be up to him to decide whether to take that deal or look elsewhere (where the options might not be too good at this point, especially when compared to the Scuderia). Of course, if Michael does leave at the end of this year, or if the Raikonnen deal falls through, Felipe would be in. Whatever the time frame, a young team of Raikonnen & Massa going forward would be really, really strong.

 

What little "in car" coverage was shown of Felippe's race I believe demonstrated that he drove brilliantly. His lap times were consistent with the other leaders and I for one enjoyed watching this race. Bravo Felippe!

 

Back when we saw Massa in a Sauber/Ferrari, the comment was that he'd be a good driver once he got his wild impulses under control.

Massa has improved a lot from this year of learning racecraft from a seven time champion. I wouldn't mind seeing the same drivers at Ferrari next year, to get Massa to "graduation".

Kimi isn't always the "ice man". While he showed a lot of promise after being boosted straight into a McLaren, he's been struggling with a less than ideal car, and is something of an unknown at this point. A lot of drivers never quite realized their potential. And Kimi seems to be having issues with situation awareness on-track, the last few races. Maybe it's knowing that he's leaving, but he's been caught out in several recent races.

So is it better to hire in a possible hotshot, or to grow your own?

Edit: A snapshot from the Turkey podium has already been added to the multimedia intro at Felipe's site.

 

Re. Massa. It's incredible how a good car can improve a driver.
Massa was just average IMO at Sauber, and I don't think he was outstanding at all. Same league as a Webber.
But at Ferrari, he has one of the best cars and starts to shine.
Hope he stays too, and don't fall victim of politics.

 

i agree with carol on this one. altho, i can't deny the fact that i would like to see MS/Kimi pairing, should MS retire, FM/Kimi pairing will be great too. i think Felipe has matured a lot since coming over to the Scuderia. after such a crap performace at hungary, what he did at Istanbul is 10/10.

bravo Felipe!

 

You got it spot on Carole.

 

I'd rather see MS/Felipe than MS/Kimi.

Sure, it might be interesting to have a direct car-for-car comparison between MS and Kimi, but having two drivers competing with each other isn't always best for the team. Remember when Senna and Lauda shared a make? JV and Button?

Michael and Felipe work well together, and it's making Massa a better driver. I think Ferrari would be better served grooming Massa to take the lead after Michael and leaving Kimi to roam the nightclubs.

But you can't blame Felipe for Hungary. He spent the entire race on the wrong tires -- changing to full wets just before the rain stopped, changing to intermeds just before it started raining again. He was just out of sync with the weather. Maybe the teams need to install weather stations several miles around the circuit to track the rain squalls. When the weather matched his tires, he did quite well, pulling back up into the points.

 

I agree with william. Ide could win a race in that car.

 

William, I would have agreed with you earlier in the season, but I think Massa has really improved over the last 5/6 races and Turkey really demonstrated tremendous control and a smart race. While Michael was visiting the grass, Massa's drive seemed flawless.

I agree with Carol and find Felipes humility and joy a pleasure and think him a much more deserving and and interesting #2 driver than Kimi. If I never have to sit through another interview with him (kimi) I will be quite happy!

 

Remembering all the explanations at the beginning of the year, Massa's deal was for one year. With his past performance and the limited contract, it wasn't so clear that Ferrari expected him to win races. It was more likely that his role was to support the team and MS's championship chances. He only delivered on one of those responsibilities yesterday.

I don't mean to say he wasn't fast or that he didn't deserve pole but MS and Alonso were just as fast. He could have been more grateful of the support he got from Ferrari when he made his press conference remarks, instead there was a lot of me, me, me.

Yes, congratulations on winning number one - even if it made Schumacher's chances of an 8th WDC even more remote.

 

He is definitely easier to understand than Kimi.

 

I like Kimi's interview style. Massa kinda bores me.

But why do you people give Scott Speed such a hard time? I don't think his debut season was any worse than Massa's at Sauber....less mistakes too. (Although Scott tends to get in the mix with other cars during starts and the like, Massa would just go flying off the track randomly.)

I'm underwhelmed with Massa. I'd like to like him, I just can't. He won today because he was in the best car while the best driver's either had sub-par cars, or screwed up strategies.

Button was far more deserving of his first win 3 weeks ago. And there are other drivers in the paddock that seem much more talented that should also be winning races (Jarno for one....)

 

mmmm. i gotta go with u on this. i mean, felipe did prove this, but hehe..i gotta admit, the whole world would like to see MS/kimi pairing regardless what will happen. logic wise tho, it's better for MS/FM pairing next year, given the facts u stated above. furthermore, FM tends to perform better at post race interviews compared to kimi

 

u gotta me kidding me...right?

Q: how was the race in your point of view kimi?

K: igotoffwithagoodstartbutfernandogotabetterstartandihadthebetterlinesowebasicllywentwheel2wheelandididn'tliftoffsuddenlyisawdustandlotsofspinsbehindmeandiwasnotifiedontheradiofromtheteamthatthere'sayellowflagupinthesecondcornerwithidetangledupwithjacque......

 

Even if you have the best car, it doesn't mean you can put it together and win a race. Massa drove so smoothly, it was boring. He drove the race Michael should have driven. Massa impressed everyone.

One comment I can not understand, is the one about Kimi's interviewing style verses Felipe's. Your view seems to be completely opposite of 99% of everyone else on FChat. Kimi gives droll interviews, Felipe at least has some emotion.

Why is Button more deserving? He gets more press as the only British driver, but what else? I like Scott Speed, but I do not think it was his time to be in F1 as there are way too many other better drivers in the wings. At this juncture, I would say that Massa has more skill than Speed. Certainly a team like Ferrari and Jean Todt think so, so I would lean towards their opinions heavily.

 

Not when it counted -- that's why Felipe was on pole.

Well, it was his first time. He'll get better with practice.

Win your first GP with Ferrari, and what would you be saying? "Top of the World, Ma!"

 

I really enjoyed watching the limited amout of time that "Speedtv" dedicated to his wonderful run. IT was great to see some new blood out there making it to the top spot.

 

You're kidding, right?

It was Senna and PROST (not Lauda, do a little research next time) who were teammates and during their two years together each won a WDC with McLaren-Honda winning the Constructors championship both years. Their first year together, they won 15 of 16 races and would have won the 16th had it not been for John-Louis Schlesser subbing in the Williams taking out Senna at Imola. If that somehow constitutes, in your mind, an inferior outcome to having a Prost-Johannson pairing then perhaps I suggest you stop sniffing glue.

I would take two top-line drivers any day of the week and so would any team manager in F1, including Todt. The ONLY reason Ferrari doesn't have a top driver in the second seat is MS's refusal to have a competitive driver as a teammate, not team policy. And no, Massa is is not a competitive driver, last weekend notwithstanding.

 

Did you mean Prost and Lauda?

I have always been critical of Massa, and so it's only fair to compliment him on how much he has improved as a driver. If you think about it, it's not often we get to see the evolution of a driver this way. Quite often, there's either a plateau or steady decline, especially after being out of the game. He is definitely driving the Ferrari much better than at the start of the season, and his win yesterday was very impressive.

That said, it takes more than a couple sandwiches to fill a picnic basket. He may be driving like the best teammate Michael's ever had--improving steadily, while Irvine and Rubens seemed more peaky in their performances--but I'm going to wait to over-annoint him. I really hope what we're seeing is the rule over the exception, because that will mean that F1 has one more legit competitor for the years to come.

As far as Kimi goes, he's at that tricky crossroads so many drivers before him have encountered. I believe he is as talented as anyone on the grid, but he desperately needs a change of machinery to keep his heart and head in the game. I still think he's the best bet for Ferrari. When people talk about emotions, it should be noted that, of the variety of personalities they've had over the years, the less emotional drivers have been the best performers. (Lauda, Sheckter, Villeneuve, Schumacher)

 

You just solidified bjwhite's point.
When Kimi speaks, you get to hear about RACING, non stop.
Massa truly IS boring in comparison.

 

SpeedTV has no control over the video. They just re-broadcast the feed from the host broadcaster.

 

Great performance by Felipe. He has been steadily improving over the year. While he will make a good number 2, he needs to be more consistent to be deserving of #1 spot.

I am sure Felipe will be onboard next year along with Kimi as his teammate. I feel confident that Michael is going to retire this year.

 

Get the Best.

 

Dangit, I'm gonna have to look for old videotapes. I remember constant accusations, one year, that Honda was giving one driver more power than the other on the same team, back in the '80s. The two often banged wheels at T1 having shared the front row.

The two dominated races because of the engine -- and esoteric fuel mix, if memory serves. But the records on f1db don't entirely match my memory.

I also remember a year Mansell was considered just an also-ran test driver for Williams ... the way some people see Massa today.