Felipe Massa

The first two sessions of free practice signalled the start of a special weekend for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, as here in Turkey, it celebrates its 800th Grand Prix in 61 years of taking part in the Formula 1 World Championship.

Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso completed a total of 98 laps: 48 for the Brazilian and two more for the Spaniard. “As is always the case on the first day of a race weekend, it is difficult to draw any conclusions as to the hierarchy among the teams,” said Stefano Domenicali. “We worked on race preparation and on finding performance and we are reasonably happy with what we have seen. One has to be very careful when assessing the level of competitiveness, given we are up against very strong opposition: all the same, it did not strike me we were seeing anything very different to the previous six races of this championship.”

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 »

With the Turkish Grand Prix in sight Felipe Massa talks about his feelings remembering the 2006 race, the one with his first win. Out of 5 GPs held at the Istanbul Park circuit Felipe gained 3 victories and 3 pole positions.

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 »