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"Fernando Is Faster Than You"... The Sad Demise Of Felipe Massa
Within 4 years Massa has gone from contender to seemingly on the verge of being given the boot at Ferrari; here are a few things that contributed to his fall.
Back in 2008, after winning his home Grand Prix at the Interlagos circuit, Brazil, Felipe Massa was the new Formula 1 World Champion….or so we all thought. Felipe had done what he needed to do, win the race and then hope Lewis Hamilton didn’t finish any higher than 6th place to take the title, and, with just 3 corners remaining, that’s exactly where he was. As Felipe took the chequered flag, the Ferrari garage celebrated thinking they had done it; then it happened, on the penultimate corner, Lewis overtook 5th place Timo Glock, who was struggling with grip in the rain, and in turn, snatched the title from Felipe’s grasp.
Such a gut-wrenching way to lose a championship would be hard to for any competitor to take and then be expected to come back from, as the drivers at Ferrari are; unfortunately for Massa, it seems that he never fully recovered from that loss. The following season, with relations between former World Champion team mate Kimi Räikkönen and team becoming more and more strained, Massa was given the backing by Ferrari to prove his worth as a real contender. Mid-way through that season however, with Jenson Button holding a seemingly insurmountable lead in the drivers’ championship, disaster stuck. During qualifying for the Hungarian GP, a piece of suspension fell off the back of Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn; at high speed, the piece bounced along track right into the path of the oncoming Massa who caught the spring flush in the helmet at 162mph, fracturing his skull and causing him to crash into the tire wall. Felipe’s, and almost as significantly, Ferrari’s, season was over.
Whilst never admitted publicly, the man is far too professional for that, after his efforts in 2008, and the horrific luck suffered in 2009, Alonso’s arrival must have come as a huge snub to Felipe.
By the start of following season in 2010, thankfully, Massa had made a full recovery and was able to retake his place in the car. However, this time it was different; after another barren year, unacceptable by Ferrari’s high standards, the former 2-time World Champion, Fernando Alonso was brought in in place of the disillusioned Räikkönen.
Alonso, armed with a huge contract, was give one remit, to bring a title back the Ferrari. Whilst viewed by many as a great signing, the move for Alonso gave the distinct impression, that whilst a reliable and steady driver, Massa was not deemed the man to bring the glory, which had been craved since the Schumacher days, back to Ferrari. Whilst never admitted publicly, the man is far too professional for that, after his efforts in 2008, and the horrific luck suffered in 2009, Alonso’s arrival must have come as a huge snub to Felipe.
The following 2010 season, whilst one of the most exciting of recent times for the fans, was not so good for Massa. In the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, 4 drivers, including Alonso, battled it out for the title eventually won by Sebastian Vettel. Felipe was not one of those 4. After a disappointing season by his standards Felipe eventually finished mid-table in 6th place. Some put his lack of competitiveness down to the accident, maybe the horrific nature of the crash had affected him psychologically, and in turn, taken away some of his speed; and who knows, maybe it had.
With his contact up at the end of the year, and Ferrari apparently looking at drivers like Webber, Di Resta and Perez for next season, it seems certain that Felipe’s time with Ferrari is up.
There was however one other significant incident that will have affected Massa that season; I am of course referring to the now infamous coded message. Ever since race leader Rubens Barrichello was ordered to slow down by Ferrari on the home straight to allow team mate Michael Schumacher to win the Austrian GP in 2002, team orders were banned. The whole event left a bad taste in people’s mouths; it seemed to defeat the purpose of the actual race if teams had the power to dictate who should get the points. From that day on though, it was clear to all who the number 1 driver at Ferrari was, and who was the number 2.
At the German GP of 2010, Felipe was winning the race, followed by teammate Alonso in second. Midway through the race, Massa’s race engineer Rob Smedley came on the radio and informed him “Fernando is faster than you………Can you confirm you understood that message?” You could hear the anguish and duress in Smedley’s voice as he said it; he was basically being made to tell his colleague and friend to slow down and let Alonso through to take the lead. Although Team Principal Stefano Domenicali denied it publicly, Ferrari, rather than let their two drivers contest it out on the track for first place, had again decided to interfere in the race and pull rank. Once again, in a crass throw back to the past, it was clear who the number 1 driver at Ferrari now was.
Although you could see the annoyance and frustration in his face after the race, many would have voiced their displeasure in light of such treatment, not Massa; from that day to now, to his absolute credit, he has continued to remain the consummate professional for Ferrari.
You don’t just become a bad driver overnight and he’s still only 31 - a fresh start at a team like Williams or Sauber could be just what Felipe needs.
From then however, performances have dipped, in 2011, after a season blighted with numerous run-ins and spats with Lewis Hamilton, he again finished a disappointing 6th place in the drivers’ championship, and the 2012 season has so far has been even worse. It’s incredible to think that Massa has not won a race since that fateful day at Interlagos in 2008.
With his contact up at the end of the year, and Ferrari apparently looking at drivers like Webber, Di Resta and Perez for next season, it seems certain that Felipe’s time with Ferrari is up. It’s hard to say if one particular thing has led to his falling away, I would suggest it was more likely a combination of all of the above. The agonising way he lost the title to Lewis, the accident and its possible effects that most of us can only speculate at, and the way he has been shunted down the pecking order within his own team in favour of Alonso; all this would be enough to make the best of us jaded, so are his performances over the last year or so really a that much of a surprise?
You don’t just become a bad driver overnight and he’s still only 31 - a fresh start at a team like Williams or Sauber could be just what Felipe needs to get back in the groove; personally, I hope he does, because otherwise, in a sport like F1 where times move fast and certainly wait for no man, then we could well see the fall of Felipe.
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COMMENTS
Are the anti-Ferrari crowd so bereft of ammunition that you have to dig up this old dead horses' carcass? Here are a few other articles you might like to write about - McLaren steals from Ferrari. Ron Dennis lies about stealing from Ferrari. McLaren cheat in Spain to win 1976 drivers championship.... let me know if you need anymore
While I do agree that a lot of what affected Massa is true, I'd add one major issue is dealing with the Pirelli tyres. Look how Webber was left in the dust by Vettel last year, but has got to grips with them this year. Button this year is another example. Massa has really struggled to get them switched on both this season and last. Drivers with only one trick in their bag have been found out by this (don't get me wrong, I have massive respect for all the drivers out there this season. Well maybe not Maldonado). Drivers who can adapt their style have prospered. It took Webber a while (or this season's tyres suit him) but he's adapted now. Lewis proved he's no one trick pony by changing his style. Vettel is just precision. But the real master (and as a Lewis and McLaren fan this is tough to say) is Alonso. Which makes life doubly hard for Massa. Ferrari have surprised me by how loyal they have been to Massa, given how ruthless they normally are, but I can't see it lasting much further. I think they will move to Perez (who is a master at managing those pesky tyres) next season. Can't see Di Resta going as he's a Mercedes man and I can't see him moving out of the way for a faster team mate. All in all this it tough on a driver who behaved with such dignity when losing the title in such cruel circumstances. But I think Ferrari have been reasonably fair on him ('Alonso is faster than you' aside that is).
Felipe Massa has never impressed me as a driver from the day he made his debut. He was fast in patches, but never championship material. He was test driver for Ferrari while he drove for Sauber and Ferrari saw in him the ideal replacement as No.2 driver for the whining Barrichelo. Thats what he's always been - No.2. He was fast enough to keep Michael Schumacher on his toes (just like Barrichelo) but never fast enough over an entire season to win a championship. 2008 was a year in which Ferrari should have cake-walked the championship if either Schumacher or Alonso were with the team then. Raikonen was totally out of form and demotivated, and the car was good enough to let an average Massa get to sniffing distance of the championship. Once a strong No.1 was back in Ferrari in the form of Alonso, according to them, it was service resuming to normal, whereas the rest of us sit and speculate as to why Massa suddenly lost speed. Truth is, he never had that extra speed. He was never a good driver under pressure, never consistently fast over a full season (except 2008 where he had a great car and won races from the front, but still made heavy weather of the championship) and always came undone in a wheel to wheel battle. Personally to me Massa is just another Coulthard, Barrichello, Fisechella, Trulli, etc. Good drivers but never destined for greatness.
"Fernando is faster than you" - of all the inboard radio over the years, that's my favourite. Close second is Button in Montreal. "What is he doing?" Thing is with Massa, he is the ultimate bit*h boy. You couldn't be a more no2 driver than him. She. You think of No2 drivers, you think of Massa. The poor sod even got sent out a Monza to slip stream Alonso in quali... That's not good for your self esteem
@machoElGrande It always amuses me how the "Fernando is faster than you" took off, but the "[Heikki] Lewis is faster than you" 2 years earlier is forgotten - Very convenient memories the British press have :)
@MiaScuderia I think it was the tone in which Ross Smedley delivered it in. It always makes me smile when i hear it.
"Fernando is faster than you" - of all the inboard radio over the years,the all faster than Massa, Massa just a second driver NOT a top noch consistent driver.
Dear "VMathew" We have all seen vetel win a championship where he had an amazing car and still just managed to win (granted repeated the next year by a massive margin) However the qualifying gaps to competitors in 2008 from massa and 2010 and 11 from vettel are about the same when you look at pole. You may also forget that massa should have won 2008 allthough renault cheating to get Alonso the win in singapore cost massa the certain win and mclaren stealing ideas from ferrari gave them a faster car.
Hi Ben, Comparing lap times over different seasons is always a difficult proposition. Vettel made a lot of mistakes in 2010 and made heavy weather of the championship, granted, but his driving always had that extra bit of speed compared to his team mate and you always got the feeling that he was special - how many people have won in a 2nd grade car (Monza 2008 with Torro Rosso). Also, look at where Alonso is this year given a 2nd grade car - leading the championship. Look where Massa is. His performance improved only once the car improved. Early season he couldn't get anything out of a dog of a car.
being a vettel and webber fan i'm in no way biased when i say massa is my 3rd favorite driver. I just like the guy. Sure he's always gonna be no.2 as long as he's at Ferrari but he's such a good guy you can't help but like him. Take Shamilton, fast guy but he just comes off as a total douche can't stand him hope he sucks worse than schumi did at Mercedes and never sees another WDC as long as he lives
FELIPE MASSA AGAIN DONATES FERNANDO ALONSO WITH A 2ND PLACE PODIUM FINISH AT MONZA F1 GP 2013 The continued cheating of Felipe Massa’s genius as a driver by Ferrari and the Santander sponsorship cash cow Fernando Alonso keeps rolling on….!? Ferrari’s implicit involvement in this continual deceit either by losing him time in the pits or pitting Massa at clearly the wrong time or even going to the lengths of breaking his gearbox seal last year to raise Alonso up the grid to the detriment of Massa, illustrates how corrupt Ferrari have become under the machiavellian influence of Fernando Alonso. My sincere condolences to Felipe Massa, he deserved and deserves far, far better as have the F1 public.
FELIPE MASSA AGAIN DONATES FERNANDO ALONSO WITH A 2ND PLACE PODIUM FINISH AT MONZA F1 GP 2013 The continued unbridled demeaning of Felipe Massa’s genius as a driver by Ferrari and the Santander sponsorship cash cow Fernando Alonso keeps rolling on….!? Ferrari’s implicit involvement in this continual deceit either by losing him time in the pits or pitting Massa at clearly the wrong time or even going to the lengths of breaking his gearbox seal last year to raise Alonso up the grid to the detriment of Massa, illustrates how corrupt Ferrari have become under the machiavellian influence of Fernando Alonso. My sincere condolences to Felipe Massa, he deserved and deserves far, far better as have the F1 public.
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