Felipe Massa

Brilliant driver on his day but is he championship material?

In 2008 he proved he was but thats only one occassion, plus that season the Ferrari TBH was a bit quicker and won more races that season. In 2009 he nearly suffered a career ending head-injury and since coming to back to the grid he hasn't really shown that promise he did in 2008.

Don't get me wrong he's a driver i very much like, but i do wonder if he'll be a title challenger again for Ferrari season in season out or if he'll stay at Ferrari much longer?

Whats your thoughts on Massa?

 

[Mephistopheles]

Yes he did as he was promised the car if he won the world championship and a thank you for taking a pay cut and someone at Mercedes tried to renege on the deal they even tried to palm him off with a replica...

 

[Mephistopheles]

it'll be a conversation piece at Chez Massa.

Or the bottom half of a coffee table...

 

[gethinceri]

Glass topped?

 

[Mephistopheles]

Absolutely...

 

[Bill Boddy]

"Thanks also to you Fer. We will meet again on track and this time I will try not to let you through," Massa told the Spaniard.

I would have thought that he'll have to or get punished for ignoring blue flags.

 

[mjo]

No Massa/Smedley bromance this year.... someone called Andrew Murdoch will be instead, and Smedley's moving higher up at Williams.

 

[Bill Boddy]

There isn't a higher at Williams. Being Massa's race engineer is the ultimate accolade ; it shows that you can handle anything that is thrown at you whilst you sooth him by calling him Felipe baby.

 

[F1Yorkshire]

Massa is getting his excuses in early. Expect lots of cars spinning with the new turbo & torque regs.

http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3213/9149963/Massa-Cars-will-be-going-sideways

 

[Incubus]

Not quite sure in what way exactly does Massa pointing out the obvious fact that cars will have less grip this year translate as him "getting his excuses early"?....

 

[F1Yorkshire]

Massa has been known especially in damp weather to have a tendency to end up facing in the wrong direction. I think we all remember silverstone in 2009 when he spun about 5 times in a single race.

 

[Incubus]

Do we just... it's kind of hard to forget when that race has brought up at every single opportunity ad infinitum whenever the words "Massa" and "rain" are mentioned together.
Particularly puzzling when:
1) the article in question makes no reference whatsoever to wet-weather driving
2) That race was five years ago
3) I can't think of one single top-driver on the current grid who hasn't had a 'mare of a race or two in the past
4) Massa has on occasions driven quite handsomely in the rain...particularly on his last Grand Prix win....

 

[teabagyokel]

More pertinently, Massa made a habit out of pointing a Ferrari in the wrong direction last year too...

 

[F1Yorkshire]

Which other driver on the grid would you associate more with being known to spin with great regularity? Maldonado is known for crashing, Di Resta is known for just going off and moaning about it after it and Sutil is known for communicating with a champagne flute.

I've not seen any other driver mentioning how the cars are likely to behave.

 

[Bill Boddy]

Raikkonen did but no-one could translate his mumble.

Seriously, Hamilton thought that it was different whilst Raikkonen and Alonso thought that it wasn't very different. Vettel found it easier to walk.

 

[Mephistopheles]

Maybe the Williams is just shit compared to the Ferrari he has been used to.

Seems like a perfectly good explanation for his comments to me.

Edit

Bang one blow and I've hit the nail squarely on the head, come on admit it....

 

[Slyboogy]

It's been noted that the Sauber and Williams are struggling for traction compared to the rest of the teams.

As for Massa spinning 5 times in that race, I don't like having to repeat this, but Raikkonen his then team mate spun 3 times as well as both drivers were on the intermediate tyres when it was raining hard while the rest of the drivers apart from Coulthard and someone else along with the Ferrari drivers were on full wets.

Let's not forget, that Ferrari seemed to be horrible in the wet.

 

[Mephistopheles]

Yeah I don't like the Massa bashing shit he has driven some brilliant races in his career and loads of drivers spun that wet weekend not just him, he may have even gambled on a dry set up for that race, what do we know?

He was r'r'r'r'r'robbed, r'r'r'r'robbed I tell ye' in 2008 oh aye..

And

He's a very nice young man..

 

[FB]

Fantastic! Cars not going rounds corners like they are on rails - bring it on!

 

[RasputinLives]

Do you think Massa is currently scrolling through all the testing data, looking at all the timings and lap counts of the other teams and thinking "I can't be this lucky can I?".

If the Williams does turn out to be a front runner with the Ferrari lagging behind it then I'm guessing Massa and Smedley won't stop laughing until xmas!

 

[Bill Boddy]

As long as Williams keep on improving during the season, something that they have been poor at for a number of years.