Posted in: Ferrari
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Massa staying at Ferrari?
9th October 2010
Ferrari have been keen to dismiss claims that driver Felipe Massa could leave the F1 team at the end of the season.
Rumours started to circulate in the wake of team orders, where Ferrari asked the Brazilian to let team-mate Fernando Alonso win July’s German Grand Prix. Ferrari were subsequently fined $100,000 for those actions and were fortunate to escape having points docked.
Massa who has been consistently outpaced by team-mate Alonso all season has accepted that he will have to play second fiddle for the rest of this year to help the Spanish Alonso in his quest for this season’s world championship. However, Massa has made it clear he will not be forced into taking a permanent number two role next year. Massa told Germany’s Sport Build magazine, “For sure I am not Ferrari’s second Rubens Barrichello (the role Ruben fulfilled for Michael Schumacker at Ferrari from 2000-2005). If that happens, I will stop driving. I’m not going to go racing to be eligible for second place. Fernando is very good, definitely. But he is not better than my other team-mates. It’s just myself not being as good as usual. I have had big problems with the tyres. For my driving style, even the soft tyres are too hard. And I’m sure many other drivers have had the same problem. I don’t think Michael has forgotten how to drive.”
Massa staying at Ferrari?
9th October 2010
Ferrari have been keen to dismiss claims that driver Felipe Massa could leave the F1 team at the end of the season.
Rumours started to circulate in the wake of team orders, where Ferrari asked the Brazilian to let team-mate Fernando Alonso win July’s German Grand Prix. Ferrari were subsequently fined $100,000 for those actions and were fortunate to escape having points docked.
Massa who has been consistently outpaced by team-mate Alonso all season has accepted that he will have to play second fiddle for the rest of this year to help the Spanish Alonso in his quest for this season’s world championship. However, Massa has made it clear he will not be forced into taking a permanent number two role next year. Massa told Germany’s Sport Build magazine, “For sure I am not Ferrari’s second Rubens Barrichello (the role Ruben fulfilled for Michael Schumacker at Ferrari from 2000-2005). If that happens, I will stop driving. I’m not going to go racing to be eligible for second place. Fernando is very good, definitely. But he is not better than my other team-mates. It’s just myself not being as good as usual. I have had big problems with the tyres. For my driving style, even the soft tyres are too hard. And I’m sure many other drivers have had the same problem. I don’t think Michael has forgotten how to drive.”
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