Felipe Massa

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, Read the rest of this entry »

“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.”

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 Read the rest of this entry »

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 Read the rest of this entry »

Felipe Massa says he is particularly fired up to resume winning at Istanbul Park this weekend given his record of success in the Turkish Grand Prix.

The Brazilian won from pole position at the track every year from 2006 to 2008, although Ferrari’s 2009 slump meant he had to settle for sixth last year.

He said the confidence he gained from his hat-trick of wins in Turkey would give him a big boost this weekend.

“It’s a great memory. It’s a track which I love to race on, I enjoy driving this track and I won three times in five races,” said Massa in an interview for Ferrari’s website.

“It’s a great story for my career, it gives me Read the rest of this entry »

Felipe Massa could be heading to Renault in 2011 according to a report in Finland’s Turun Sanomat.

Massa’s manager, Nicolas Todt, is said to have already held contract talks with both Ferrari and one other team, believed to be Renault.

Massa has been with Ferrari since 2006, but his current deal runs out at the end of the season. Having been overshadowed by team-mate Fernando Alonso so far in 2010, speculation is rife that Ferrari will look to replace him at the end of the season.

The current hottest properties in the driver market, Read the rest of this entry »