(from autosport) Felipe Massa says he feels the pressure is off him now that Lewis Hamilton has a seven-point lead in the world championship, and plans to focus only on race victory in Brazil next weekend. Hamilton's domination of the Chinese Grand Prix means that the McLaren driver only needs a fifth place finish at Interlagos to beat Massa to the title, while the Brazilian must finish first or second and hope his rival hits trouble. Massa said this situation means he can stop worrying about the championship and just go for another home win in the deciding race. "Yes it's true I have a tougher job than Lewis in terms of the points situation, but my own objective for the weekend is much more straightforward than his," said the Ferrari driver. "I only have to focus on winning the race on Sunday afternoon, hopefully with my teammate second behind me. The only thing I am thinking about is winning. After that, the matter is not in my hands and we will have to wait and see exactly what and how much we have won. "For sure, Lewis will try and put pressure on me, but I have zero pressure, because I have nothing to lose. "I have my people behind me and all the pressure will be on him, especially when you think about what happened at this race last year. I can't wait for the final Sunday of the season." Ferrari have won at Interlagos for the past two seasons, with Massa taking victory in 2006 and then leading last year until falling behind his title-chasing teammate Kimi Raikkonen at the final stops. "It is impossible to predict what will happen in the Brazilian Grand Prix, but I think our car has always been very good at this circuit, even if I cannot explain exactly why," said Massa. "We have always gone well here and I expect that to be the case at the weekend, whatever the conditions, in the dry or in the rain and in qualifying and in the race." He added that he expected Raikkonen to support his title bid again if required, and said he had no qualms about the use of team orders in China, where his teammate relinquished second place in the closing laps. "I know there have been comments about my overtaking Kimi in the final stages of the Shanghai race, but they have come from people who don't really understand how the sport works," he said. "It is a team sport and both me and Kimi know we have to do what is best for the team. For sure, psychologically a racing driver always wants to finish in front, always wants to win: it doesn't matter if you are playing a friend on a computer game or driving a Formula One car. "But all drivers have a contract with their team and so you are not racing as an individual. When you are fighting for the championship, with only one driver with a mathematical chance of winning, then all the teams in the pit lane would do the same, which is to put that one driver in a position where he has the best chance of winning. That is part of this sport."
Thanks for posting this. Great interview and it seems Massa has the right attitude, win the race and let the chips fall where they may. Solid!
Massa ADMITS there were team orders and Ferrari doesn't get a penalty. The bias in favor of Ferrari is overwhelming.
The whole team orders thing is a big joke. He did the favor for Kimi last year in Brasil, and without Massa Kimi would not have clinched it the way he did.
I agree it is a joke, but rules are rules.....and they always seem to get enforced in favor of Ferrari...
even watching the last race, the announcers at Speed proclaimed that the ban on team orders should be lifted. stating that even though there are to be no team orders, it has been present ever since F1 became a sport. so please spare us the Ferrari bias b.s.!
Kubica/Heidfeld in Montreal, Hamilton/Kovalinen in Hockenheim. No one complained then, no one complains now...
So then !!, It may come a surpise that sat in the back ground in Max's office whilst getting interviewed a few weeks back was a red car!! no objections there I see... Image Unavailable, Please Login
Just like Kimster did at the post race interveiw in Japan; No penalties and no investigation. FIA's to busy looking at Hamilton tapes.
Your right, they should be lifted. But they aren't and thus it is a real rule to be enforced TODAY. Unlike the vague "giving a position back" rule that was followed by LH but over-ruled by politically influenced stewards.
Must every post turn into a Ferrari conspiracy? It's getting old...real fast. Bottom line is It's going to be a great final race, just enjoy it. Massa has the right attitude...he can win. Hamilton has shown us that he can choke just as good as he can win. What will be interesting is the qualifying and where Kimi and Alonso line up for the start. Personally I can't wait for Brasil, it should be the best race of the year.
Yes, but when Lewis does it, it's a silly rule. When Ferrari does it, it's a grand global conspiracy.
Correct!! ....... Joking aside it is, The trouble I see, because it is a rule that is open to interpretation, it can be selectively enforced, and the evidence is stacked in the last few races, that it could or would been applied to close the GAP!! again..!! had it been the other way round. But!, yet again it's the way pornostar Max likes it. I have no problem with team order's as long as there is a clear cut leader between team mates to the WDC!!.
Agree with you 100%. This conspiracy stuff is BS. Other teams have performed similar tactics, including McLaren, yet the only one that seems to be visable to some people is Ferrari. Very myopic. Same cast every time. Could it be that Ferrari is the most visable team, the one that most people see over all of the other cars? Could that be the reason that Marlboro does not even need to put their name on the car in the countries that tobacco advertising is still legal, they realize all eyes are on those two red cars at some point even when they are midfield? Could their visability be the reason for scrutiny? This was just a thread about Massa, and the great attitude he displays. Not fodder for more conspiracy BS.
Fantastic, let's have team orders. Ferrari has a get out of jail card, no doubt, but isn't this FerrariChat? Shouldn't we be biased towards Ferrari. I am looking forward to the GT2 championship next year now that Corvette has changed classification. There will be some exciting racing in the American LeMans series where our beloved Ferrari is doing so well. Isn't it time for a factory Ferrari sportscar effort. Since I watched them clinch their last championship back in 1967 at Brands Hatch, I feel they are due again! Apologies for off topic, but so many series are more exciting to us old racers, than Bernieland F1. Cheers
And the dumb part is that people weren't booing the team orders per se -- they were booing the *way* it was done. Shumi, in the previous five races, had four wins and a third. And he took points from Rubens (with four DNFs and a 2nd). But the FIA just *had* to "do something". The signs of a micro-manager: someone who doesn't know when to leave well enough alone. But I think the BM boys were worried that Schumi was going to try to clinch the championship too early in the season. (He actually did clinch with six races left to run in the 17 race season -- with Rubens in a four-way battle for 2nd.) Banning team orders in response to that incident was like responding to a close election (say, with recounts) by reverting to having a king, instead.
Each to there own I suppose.. I like Ferrari's, but I ain't supporting them like this.!!!!! Image Unavailable, Please Login
