Felipe Massa » Massa News

Title hopes still alive

admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:31:05 +0000

Felipe Massa says his title challenge is “definitely” still alive and hopes to be competitive in Valencia with a heavily updated Ferrari package.

The new points system has made the championship fight closer then ever, and with Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull seemingly on a similar pace after Montreal, the Brazilian knows that a couple of good results could transform his season.

“Until you see from a mathematical point of view that you don’t have a chance anymore, the championship is definitely open,” he said. “We saw that in two races many things changed. Many things can change quickly in another two races.”

Although the 28-year-old had a troubled time in Canada, coming together with Vitantonio Liuzzi at the start of the race and former team-mate Michael Schumacher towards the end, and eventually finished down in 15th, Massa felt a good car underneath him and is hopeful heading to the second Spanish venue of the season.

“Valencia is a circuit close to Canada in terms of the layout. We had a good car in Montreal in the race. I had very good laptimes and a good, consistent car – so this is something to look forward to for Valencia,” Massa added.

Meanwhile, team-mate Fernando Alonso is excited by returning to his home country and is gunning for the win to put him firmly in the mix with championship leader Lewis Hamilton.

“I expect a very strong Ferrari again in Valencia,” said the Spaniard. “The goal is to be on the podium on Sunday afternoon. The dream is to win the race. I think there’s a good atmosphere in the team and I’m very optimistic.”

Massa upbeat on European GP chances

admin — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 20:59:22 +0000

Felipe Massa believes Ferrari has good reason to feel optimistic about its chances of fighting for victory in next weekend’s European Grand Prix on the back of its encouraging form in Montreal.

Although Massa missed out on the points in Canada, having got caught up in a first lap tangle with Vitantonio Liuzzi and a late-race run-in with Michael Schumacher, the Brazilian was encouraged by the pace of his F10.

And, with team-mate Fernando Alonso having battled for the win before finishing third, Massa believes updates planned for Valencia should give his team a good chance of delivering a good result.

“The car was much more competitive in Canada than in Turkey, which is a good basis on which to go to Valencia for the next race,” Massa told the official Ferrari website.

“The street circuit there is not so different in terms of its characteristics to the Montreal track and on top of that, we expect to have some more updates for the F10 to make it even more competitive with those ahead of us in the championship.

“Valencia has not produced very exciting races so far, but I enjoy the track, as the only time I have raced there, in 2008 – it was one of the races I missed last year after my accident – I won. It would be nice to think we could be in with a chance of doing the same again this time.”

He added: “With the unpredictable nature of this year’s championship anything can happen and I am sure we can be in the fight for the top places come Sunday in Spain.”

In Valencia Ferrari is expected to become one of the first of Red Bull Racing’s rivals to adopt the low exhaust configuration that is believed to have been a factor in helping the RB6 set the pace over the start of the season.

McLaren and Williams are set to follow suit for the British GP.

Jonathan Noble – Autosport

Massa laments ‘horrible’ Canadian GP

admin — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 22:54:23 +0000

Felipe Massa was left to ponder what might have been after two separate racing incidents ruined his chances of a points finish in Montreal.

A collision with Tonio Liuzzi’s Force India at the first corner dropped him back and despite fighting back into the points, further contact with Michael Schumacher’s Mercedes put paid to his chances.

“This was a horrible race, in which everything happened to me,” said Massa. “At the first corner, I had an accident that put me out of the game in terms of fighting for a top place finish. I got a very good start, but I found myself sandwiched between Button and Liuzzi, who touched me and you all saw how it ended up. A shame, but these things happen.”

Despite yet another disappointing race in a frustrating season so far for the 2008 runner-up, Massa confessed himself happy with his Ferrari’s race pace and he is looking forward to a strong showing in Valencia.

“The car was very good today, as is usually the case in the races when compared to qualifying. After that, I was always in a lot of traffic and when I had at least managed to get back into the points, there was another collision, this time with Michael and that put an end to even that slight chance of points. I expect to do better in Valencia because there will be updates on the F10 and I hope to be in the fight for the top places.”

Massa delighted with new contract

admin — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:25:45 +0000

Felipe Massa admitted he was delighted to secure an extension of his contract with the Ferrari team.

The Italian squad announced on Wednesday that the Brazilian would stay on for a further two seasons, having signed a new deal until the end of 2012.

“It is fantastic to re-sign for Ferrari,” Massa told a news conference in Montreal on Thursday.

“It shows that everybody from the team trusts you and I think that is a very good point for me, to keep pushing hard and harder all the time, to keep working together with the team to achieve the best.

“It is everything I want and what the team wants, so I am very happy to stay.

“It’s a little bit more time with Ferrari, which is a team I always dreamed to race for and when you see this is my fifth championship for Ferrari and I stay for another two years it is a fantastic feeling.”

The Brazilian, whose team was off the pace of the leading teams in the previous race in Turkey, is hoping Ferrari can take a step forward this weekend in Canada.

“I hope. For sure that is always our target, to be the best. We saw a very strong McLaren and Red Bull in the last race, I am sure they are going to be strong here as well.

“Also we were as well behind Mercedes and Renault in the last race, so we are pushing hard to be in front and fight for the best – which is what we are working for.”

Ferrari, my “other” family

admin — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 08:01:57 +0000

As you have possibly heard already, I will be racing for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro until the end of the 2012 season. I am delighted that we have reached this agreement, as I really feel as though everyone in Maranello is part of my other family, with our relationship going much further than just a working partnership. From a purely professional point of view it is great to know what I am doing so early on in the current season, which means I can now concentrate a hundred percent on the rest of this year’s races.

I have arrived in Montreal, ready for this weekend’s Grand Prix and I have to say it’s nice to be back after Formula 1’s year away, because this is one of the nicest race’s of the year, with the whole city making all of us feel very welcome. After the race in Istanbul, I went back home to spend a few days in Sao Paolo and I have taken a few days to get here, as I had to attend some events for Ferrari team partners along the way. Thanks to Shell, I made my first ever visit to an off-shore oil rig, just over a hundred kilometres away from the Brazilian coast line. It was a very interesting experience and it was incredible to see how complicated is the extraction process and management of the crude oil on the platform. When I was at the control desk, it reminded me of looking at the telemetry from our cars when we are on track: every parameter can be studied in real time 24 hours a day. Here too, teamwork is the key and each individual has to work in harmony with everyone else to get the job done as well as possible. They are together almost all the time for at least two weeks at a time and it’s vital that every member of the group feels responsible for what they do and is ready to help those around them. It’s the very same in a Formula 1 team. Instead of flying north to Canada after this unusual day, I had another stop over to make, this time in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, for a promotional appearance with our partner Philip Morris and from there, I finally took another long flight to Montreal.

Even though I like the circuit here, with the challenge of running in low downforce configuration on a narrow track that is an unusual mix of a race track and street circuit, I have not had much luck in Canada. In fact, my best result dates back to my final year with Sauber in 2005, when I finished fourth. The last two races here were particularly tough for me: in 2007, I was penalised for leaving pit lane when the red light was on and the last time we were here, in 2008, there was a problem with the refuelling at my pit stop, which cost me at least a podium finish, but my car was really working well and I managed to move up from the back of the pack to finish fifth at the flag. This year, I hope we have a better time and that should be possible, because I expect our F10 to be more competitive than in Turkey. A good race should be on the cards, as the track has some similarities to Melbourne and Sakhir, where we were front runners. But as usual, we won’t really know where we stand until the end of Friday’s two practice sessions.

Source: Felipe Massa’s Official Blog

Massa extends Ferrari contract until ’12

admin — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 16:25:59 +0000

Ferrari announced on Wednesday morning that it has extended its contract with Felipe Massa, who will stay on at the team at least until the end of the 2012 season.

Massa has been with the Italian squad since the 2001 season and his contract was expiring at the end of this year.

The new deal means Ferrari will have an unchanged driver line-up for the next two years, with Fernando Alonso also contracted to the Maranello outfit.

“I am happy to be given the opportunity to drive for Ferrari for a further two seasons,” said Massa.

“Throughout my entire Formula 1 career, I have always raced with an engine made in Maranello and it is a matter of pride for me to be able to continue working with a team that I regard as a second family.”

Massa has competed in 69 grands prix for Ferrari, having won 11 races, 30 podiums and 15 pole positions.

“Felipe has been part of Ferrari for almost a decade and together with us, he has grown as a driver and as a man, going through some very difficult times as well as giving us moments of great happiness,” said team boss Stefano Domenicali.

“We wanted to show proof of stability for the future, believing in the worth of a driver pairing that is without equal in terms of talent, speed and its ability to work together for the good of the team.”

The announcement comes just two days after Red Bull confirmed Mark Webber’s new contract. Both Webber and Renault’s Robert Kubica had been linked with Massa’s drive.

A different sort of day for Felipe Massa

admin — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 18:44:16 +0000

What was a Formula 1 driver doing onboard a ship moored 120 kilometres off the coast of Brazil? The driver in question was Felipe Massa and the ship was the FPSO Fluminense, with the acronym standing for Floating Production Storage and Offloading: in other words a type of platform used for collecting hydrocarbons extracted from two oilfields situated in an area extending over 3.3 kilometres and then pumping it onto tankers which take it to shore. It was an unusual place to find Felipe, but not all that strange given that this is where the crude oil comes from, which is then processed by Shell into the fuel and lubricants used in road cars and also the Ferrari Formula 1 cars.

“It was a very interesting experience,” said Felipe. “It’s incredible to see how complicated is the extraction process and management of the crude oil on this ship. When I was at the control desk, it reminded me of looking at the telemetry from our cars when we are on track: every parameter can be studied in real time 24 hours a day.”

During the visit, which took place last Friday, Felipe met all the “inhabitants” of this floating artificial island, who gave him a very warm welcome: naturally there were many Brazilians in the crew, but also Americans, Filipinos and one Italian. They gave him a guided tour of the ship where he was able to see how much care and attention on the installation goes into fundamental aspects like safety and the environment. Over the past seven years, there has not been a single incident to interrupt its activity which has seen 140 offloads of hydrocarbons without any leaks. Furthermore, the pilot flame does not run continuously and CO2 emissions are reduced to a minimum.

“Safety in Formula 1 is a priority and I can see the same is true here,” added Felipe. “But that’s not the only thing it has in common with my world. Here too, teamwork is the key and each individual has to work in harmony with everyone else to get the job done as well as possible. They are together almost all the time for at least two weeks at a time and it’s vital that every member of the group feels responsible for what they do and is ready to help those around them. It’s the very same in a Formula 1 team.”

Before leaving the ship, Felipe also got onto the subject of Formula 1. “We are about to tackle an important race in Montreal, where Ferrari must try and be more competitive than we were in Turkey,” said the Brazilian driver. “On paper, the circuit should be better suited to the characteristics of the F10, but we will have to wait until Friday to see what the situation really is.”

The Brazilian’s stay in his homeland ends today, when Felipe leaves for Quito (Ecuador) where he will take part in an event for another Scuderia partner. Tomorrow, he heads for Montreal where he will find the team waiting for him, ready for the challenge of Formula 1’s return to Canada.

Felipe Massa after 2010 Turkish GP

admin — Sun, 30 May 2010 18:59:16 +0000

“It was a very boring race for me, from start to finish, but it was also very difficult. I was always stuck behind Kubica and the two Mercedes, who were running at a similar pace to me. Very often I managed to get close, but I never had a real chance of overtaking Robert. I knew that, starting from eighth, it would be tough and so it proved. Now we must stay calm and try and quickly improve the car, starting with the very next race in Canada. Here we lacked performance, especially in the fast corners. The rain? The few drops that fell in the final laps had no affect on my driving.”

Ferrari deal would be fantastic

admin — Thu, 27 May 2010 18:08:08 +0000

Felipe Massa says it would be ‘fantastic’ to stay on at Ferrari, as team boss Stefano Domenicali suggested the Brazilian is very likely to be retained.

Massa, whose contract with Ferrari comes to an end this year, said however that he had to wait before the deal is confirmed.

“We’ll wait a bit to see. I would like to stay here, definitely. It’s a place I love to work in,” Massa told reporters in Turkey.

“People respect me a lot, so it would be fantastic to carry on.”

The Brazilian, who has been with Ferrari since 2001, says he remains very confident in his ability to perform despite some difficult races earlier in the season.

“I am very confident about my driving, about myself,” he said. “I know what I’m able to do. That’s why I’m working very hard with the team to bring the best all the time and try to improve certain points we need to improve.”

And Massa, winner of the Turkish Grand Prix three times in five years, admitted he is upbeat about his prospects for the weekend in Istanbul.

“It’s definitely a place I love to race in. It’s a fantastic track, it gives me great feeling.”

Pablo Elizalde – Autosport

Ferrari says Massa set to stay on

admin — Thu, 27 May 2010 14:18:37 +0000

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali says the Italian squad is set to retain Felipe Massa when his current contract ends.

With speculation mounting about who will partner Fernando Alonso from next year, Domenicali told the BBC on Thursday that Ferrari is almost certain to keep Massa for another year.

“Yes, I think so,” he said of Massa staying on.

When asked if he was sure, he said: “Yes.”

Massa has been with the team since the 2001 season and his contract ends at the end of this year.

Australian Mark Webber and Pole Robert Kubica have been linked with the seat.

Domenicali also insisted the team has been very happy with the performances of Alonso, despite some costly errors.

“I don’t want to speak about mistakes,” he added. “We are a group and the team do the best with the car and the drivers do the best with the performance.

“I’m very pleased with him. He came into team in a fantastic way and I think that he gave input to the team and I say let’s wait until the end of the season. He will be very strong – I have no doubt about that.”

Pablo Elizalde – Autosport