Massa Who?

[neiltb]

By the OP's rationalle, Hamilton must go at mclaren. If 5 seconds behind your team mate is unacceptable, 6 seconds must be P45 time.

[wheelsportaddict]

Originally Posted by neiltb

By the OP's rationalle, Hamilton must go at mclaren. If 5 seconds behind your team mate is unacceptable, 6 seconds must be P45 time.

You're missing one big fact though. Hamilton is scoring points, Massa has yet to score a single point this season.

As good or bad as the Ferrari is, you can't hide the fact the Alonso has won a race AND scored all the teams Constructor Championship points so far, finishing in the points in all three of the races so far. To have any chance of winning the Constructors Championship, you need both drivers to be finshing in the points on a regular basis.

So what if the car is built around Alonso? Surely it's up to Massa to adapt his driving style and work around the problems that he's plainly having?

And NO! Massa has not been the same since he came back from the accident, but being told to move over for your team mate (although Alonso WAS in the quicker car and probably would have passed him anyway) did not help the situation.

Ferrari cannot continue with a driver that has failed to score a championship point after three races and the longer it continues, the more pressure there is going to be on the team to replace him before seasons end.

I feel that if Massa non-scores in Bahrain then the team will have little choice but to consider his continuation for the remainder of the season.

[luke g28]

Hamilton did alright in his rookie season vs Alonso.

As said above, Massa would not have needed to move over for Alonso if he wasn't so slow in the first place.

[cheapracer]

Originally Posted by IceMan_PJN

Massa hasn't been the same following the spring accident,

It was in Summer.

Since the accident I don't think he has lost speed but every race he seems to have at least one noticeable minor off track or corner overshoot, I believe it has/is affecting him.

Another problem is that a lot of internet buzz is generally against him (right or wrong) so from a PR point of view I can't see Ferrari has much choice.

[ECW Dan Selby]

Originally Posted by cheapracer

It was in Summer.

Since the accident I don't think he has lost speed but every race he seems to have at least one noticeable minor off track or corner overshoot, I believe it has/is affecting him.

Another problem is that a lot of internet buzz is generally against him (right or wrong) so from a PR point of view I can't see Ferrari has much choice.

I'm not sure if that's dry humour, but I think he meant the 'spring' incident, as in the object that struck him, not the season.

Selby

[JamesH]

Originally Posted by wheelsportaddict

You're missing one big fact though. Hamilton is scoring points, Massa has yet to score a single point this season.

As good or bad as the Ferrari is, you can't hide the fact the Alonso has won a race AND scored all the teams Constructor Championship points so far, finishing in the points in all three of the races so far. To have any chance of winning the Constructors Championship, you need both drivers to be finshing in the points on a regular basis.

So what if the car is built around Alonso? Surely it's up to Massa to adapt his driving style and work around the problems that he's plainly having?

And NO! Massa has not been the same since he came back from the accident, but being told to move over for your team mate (although Alonso WAS in the quicker car and probably would have passed him anyway) did not help the situation.

Ferrari cannot continue with a driver that has failed to score a championship point after three races and the longer it continues, the more pressure there is going to be on the team to replace him before seasons end.

I feel that if Massa non-scores in Bahrain then the team will have little choice but to consider his continuation for the remainder of the season.

Asking someone to adapt a driving style they have had since they were a foetus is like asking a dog not to lick its own testicles.

[aridshelter]

Originally Posted by JamesH

Asking someone to adapt a driving style they have had since they were a foetus is like asking a dog not to lick its own testicles.

True, but then again, the Ferrari is going to be buit around Alonso for the foreseeable future. Some will be better at adapting to certain styles than others (I remember Button being notoriously terrible in seasons when the car didn't suit him), but If Fillipe can't make the car work, he'd be better off looking for a car that can.

[Bononi]

Originally Posted by wheelsportaddict

I feel that if Massa non-scores in Bahrain then the team will have little choice but to consider his continuation for the remainder of the season.

So now we have someone who works for Ferrari... looks like Luca is talking.

[Bononi]

Ferrari is ridiculous this season, they have so much to do rather than look for a replacement for Massa... but as Luca said above...

[wheelsportaddict]

Originally Posted by Bononi

So now we have someone who works for Ferrari...

I wish!

[ralf fan]

Massa moves to 16th in the championship.

He's back. Its on!

[stripedcat]

Originally Posted by ralf fan

Massa moves to 16th in the championship.

He's back. Its on!

Actually, his last two races have been pretty decent. He did well yesterday to score points in the Ferrari. It is just, that his teammate outscored him again, but then he has a habit of doing that! That is unfortunately a big problem for Massa.

[Bononi]

That's the way it goes... until the end of season.

[alfa_155]

I think Massa's Mojo has taken a serious knock from just being the number two driver at Ferrari.

He really hasn't got much motivation to get on Alonso's tail and try and be better than him as the team will just ask him to move over, otherwise Alonso will spit his dummy and throw his toys out of the pram.

I do feel for Massa and I think that he needs to leave Ferrari just for the sake of his own self esteem...he's had a lot of the fight beaten out of him and he needs to get that edge back somehow.

[GT6]

sorrt but i can,t see any other team signing him unless he can bring a bucket full of sponsership money

[chillibowl]

that would sauber then which isnt an altogether bad place to be.

massa is also only getting one day for the upcoming test and alonso is getting two....in a classic case of reading too much into things it doesnt look too good for him at Ferrari.

[chunterer]

It doesn't matter how good or bad Massa is at present because ultimately the driver alongside Alonso will be expected to do similar things to the drivers alongside Schu in his Ferrari pomp.

This is the team management style that they decided they needed to accommodate Alonso in the team and to get the best out of him.

If It was the same as in the Kimi time Massa would highly likely be 'seen' to be doing much better.

If Massa wants to stay in F1 he needs a new environment next year.

[Tiny]

Originally Posted by bravo

Get Massa into a Sauber - I'm sure he could do better with a less Alonso-specific car under him.

So very true!

[Silver 3]

Webber to Ferrari 2013--wait for it-it is fact.

[stripedcat]

Massa has just been given the kiss of death - namely a nice recommendation by Alonso. Take a look at this :-

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/040520...assa-best.html

[ralf fan]

Is there any point to him still being there?

Ok, he can't beat Fernando but his teammate is out there fighting for 1st and Felipe is out there fighting 15th.

Not to mention being embarrassingly overtaken in almost every GP.

Psychologically for me he's gone. He needs a fresh start in a new team.

[bjohnsonsmith]

He's never been quite the same since the freak accident in Hungary.

[Bononi]

Originally Posted by ralf fan

Is there any point to him still being there?

Ok, he can't beat Fernando but his teammate is out there fighting for 1st and Felipe is out there fighting 15th.

Not to mention being embarrassingly overtaken in almost every GP.

Psychologically for me he's gone. He needs a fresh start in a new team.

Agreed but...

[mountainstar]

We've all said "he's not the same since the accident" but Ferrari hasn't been either. A lot of other teams have stepped their game up in the past few years after the Schumacher juggernaut. Raikkonen and Massa got some nice leftover crumbs but Ferrari I think was spent by 2009.

Regardless of the accident, I have always thought him to be a B grade F1 driver like Coulthard or Patrese. Enough in the can to win some grand prix, but unlikely to ever string together a WDC.

[safc_fan89]

He's been getting progressively worse since 2010. Maybe part of it is linked to Hockenheim 2010 but it's not as if he was ever prevented from winning a race by Schumacher. If you're that weak mentally then you don't deserve to be in the sport. If anything, a situation like that should inspire you to show that it should be you who leads a title charge.

I think this will be his last season in F1. He's being so comprehensibly beaten by Alonso that I don't think anyone, certainly no-one with a competitive car, will touch him.