Massa Who?

[wheelsportaddict]

Yet again Filipe Massa finishes out of the points.

Is it really worth Ferrari keeping him? IMHO - No!

I think it's time for the team to sit down and seriously consider his position in the team. Should Bahrian be his last race? Surely a pointless finish again would spell the end?

[Mr V]

He finished only 5 seconds off Fernando, dispite going on a stratergy that meant that his tyres were going to end up being knackard. I don't think he did too bad today.

[Marbot]

I thought that Massa had quite a good race today, but unfortunately, Ferrari didn't.

[Born Racer]

He didn't do too terribly today; it's just that Ferrari are considering their resources, somewhat disastrous.

[Lancsbreaker]

Fairly uninspiring....but so was Alonso.....

[aridshelter]

He's not been the same driver since his accident, and much as I like the guy, I think it's clear he's not going to get back to his previous form, and it's time for Ferrari to look elsewhere for the future.

Having said that, there are probably bigger problems going on at Ferrari at the moment, so I'm not expecting a possible driver change mid-season to really solve anything...

[JeremySmith]

I thought Felipe did a very good job today, it's plain to that the car is a real handful...

[Paradise City]

I thought Alonso had a far more erratic race than Massa. Massa just seemed to stay quiet didn't mount much resistance to anything whilst Alonso was having a crack at all and sundry but just getting it thrown back in his face, offs..etc.

[SilverSpeed]

Well Ferrari are stuck with him until years end. Perez said he is sticking with Sauber until the end of the season on the weekend

[JeremySmith]

Originally Posted by Paradise City

I thought Alonso had a far more erratic race than Massa. Massa just seemed to stay quiet didn't mount much resistance to anything whilst Alonso was having a crack at all and sundry but just getting it thrown back in his face, offs..etc.

Yes I agree, the track was full of marbles off the racing line..

[chillibowl]

also felt it was a solid race from massa. he might not be the same driver since the accident but that hardly means he was better than alonso before it either or would be after it...although i actually found myself wondering what massa could have done with a two stopper in a sauber.

[ECW Dan Selby]

In conclusion, this topic could have been posted on any race over the past 2 years, other than this one, and people would have agreed

He had a good race in a crap car.

Selby

[stripedcat]

Actually, he did drive quite well today. He was on the wrong strategy, but still a decent race from him. However, it does look like he will be out by the end of the year.

[JeremySmith]

I am not sure anyone else would do a better job with that car..

[bravo]

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

[Aysedasi]

I thought Massa was pretty dire in the first two races but Alonso didn't exactly cover himself with glory in this one, so I think they share the pain for this weekend. I still feel that Massa is surely seeing out his last season though - if he survives that long.

[bjohnsonsmith]

I thought it was a pretty uneventful race for both Ferraris.

[shiny side up!]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

I am not sure anyone else would do a better job with that car..

Surely you're referring to Fernando?

[JeremySmith]

Originally Posted by shiny side up!

Surely you're referring to Fernando?

Another driver, meaning one to replace Felipe

[Bononi]

Let's do it till the end of the season, when Felipe leaves.

[bdwoody]

what are them italian fellows putting in the water , the ducati moto gp bike is a dog and the 2012 ferarri f1 car aint much better ! have they all gone bonkers ?

[IceMan_PJN]

Massa hasn't been the same following the spring accident, and he's really not been looking like he belongs in red any longer, but he did look better today so maybe I won't dismiss him just yet.

[Razzzor]

I don't think the 2 stop was the wrong strategy. Vettel was 14th after the first dozen laps and nearly finished 2nd. There's no way he would have finished there if he did a 3 stop. Rosberg won the race by 20 seconds on a 2 stop. It didn't work out for some like Raikonnen because they didn't manage to make the tyres last, but those who could make them last long enough, that was the better strategy. IMO.

[OZ_HCR32]

Originally Posted by bravo

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

Interesting. Speaking personally I had not stopped to consider what impact if any this may have had. Its been proven many times that setup going in the favoured direction of a "golden boy" has often been to the detriment of the team mate. Hell, Vettel is a little off with the balance of this years RBR and all of a sudden its 2010 again with Webber about on level pegging...the chassis/balance seems a peculiar thing and creates some seesaw form

I seem to recall Alonso likes a pushy/understeery car. Any idea what Massa prefers?

I dont really buy the "Massa has not been the same since the accident" line. I think the team/car has not been the same. With Alonso coming in...successive cars sucking...I think the German GP team order fiasco has had more affect on Massa then the accident. Up to the Canadian GP, actually you could say British GP where Alonso bashed into Massa when passing, just like in China when Alonso did a dive bomb on pit entry....I just dont think the environment is the same as it was and mentally he is now doing a DC

I respect the guy out of site simply for how he handled the Hamilton WDC.

[stripedcat]

Originally Posted by OZ_HCR32

Interesting. Speaking personally I had not stopped to consider what impact if any this may have had. Its been proven many times that setup going in the favoured direction of a "golden boy" has often been to the detriment of the team mate. Hell, Vettel is a little off with the balance of this years RBR and all of a sudden its 2010 again with Webber about on level pegging...the chassis/balance seems a peculiar thing and creates some seesaw form

I seem to recall Alonso likes a pushy/understeery car. Any idea what Massa prefers?

I dont really buy the "Massa has not been the same since the accident" line. I think the team/car has not been the same. With Alonso coming in...successive cars sucking...I think the German GP team order fiasco has had more affect on Massa then the accident. Up to the Canadian GP, actually you could say British GP where Alonso bashed into Massa when passing, just like in China when Alonso did a dive bomb on pit entry....I just dont think the environment is the same as it was and mentally he is now doing a DC

I respect the guy out of site simply for how he handled the Hamilton WDC.

I seem to recall, from the TV piece about F1 driving styles, that Alonso has an aggressive style of driving. As you said he likes an understeery type of car setup.

I think Massa has a more Schumacher/Senna/Hamilton style of driving. That is, he likes the back end of the car quite loose, prone to oversteer, good turn-in and balancing the oversteer more with the throttle than with the steering.

I agree that you can't put it all down to the accident in Hungary. If so, how come back at first race in Bahrain in 2010, he out-qualified his teammate - fair enough he got beaten in the race, but he still ended up in 2nd position.