Felipe Massa speaks out on medals
2008 championship runner-up Felipe Massa has backed Bernie Ecclestone’s proposal to install a medals-style scoring system in Formula 1 as an “interesting idea”.
But the Ferrari driver believes it is wrong of the media to say he, as the winner of the most Grands Prix in 2008, is arguably therefore more deserving of the world championship than Lewis Hamilton.
Massa won six Grands Prix compared with five for McLaren’s Hamilton last season, meaning that if the medals system had been in place, the Brazilian would have lifted the title.
“Yes, it is an interesting idea,” the 27-year-old is quoted as saying by the Italian newspaper La Stampa.
“We will see what happens. I know what you want me to say: that with this system, now I would be the champion.
“But that is a false conclusion, because at the beginning of the season we knew what was the (current points) system, and that is the basis upon which we oriented ourselves.”
F1 chief executive Ecclestone also rubbishes the suggestion that he believes Hamilton does not deserve the 2008 title because he failed to win the most races.
“Rubbish,” he said in an interview with F1’s official website. “He was destined to be a champion and it was just a question of when, not if, he would win.”
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Read more: Bernie Ecclestone is right: ‘Gold medals’ would make F1 more exciting
Incredibly gracious final comment by Massa. Good on him!
Agreed, and I’ve never heard Massa be anything but gracious and sporting. Well, aside from maybe the occasional comment made in or after the ‘heat of battle’.
Lets not forget Hamilton was striped of a race win in Spa….Had Massa won the championship it would not have been fair. If Hamilton kept his win from Spa, Massa and Hamilton would be even on Medals…..
Great sportsmanship from Massa!
If he doesnt win a title at some stage, it will be a pity, because he is the best driver out there…after alonso!!!!!
Nathan, no if Hamilton had kep his Spa win he would have had 6 and Massa 5, since Massa gained the win from Hamilton so would have 1 less win as a result.
Full credit to Massa, he’s proving the very model of a gracious sportsman (I typed loser, but then decided that didn’t do him justice). He makes a very good point as well that the competitors competed according to the points system they were dealt. If we had got to Brazil and Hamilton had needed to win the race to secure the WDC, he would have gone for the win not 5th…
I’m still not convinced on the medals but it’s good to see Massa being so nice about Lewis.
Shows a lot of class.
I agree with Beneboy.
Since winning and then losing the Championship, Massa has been professional and gracious.
I believe that if all were fair in F1, Hamilton would have the win back for Spa, Massa would have Hungary back instead of a blown engine, and also Singapore, after being stripped by a dodgy lights system. Massa would also have lost Valencia due to a drive-through for unsafe release.
I don’t actually see the part where Massa says that medals are a good idea.
Its nice that he says that hamilton deserved it im sure massa will get his chance again one day
Does he say that really?
Aren’t people attributing Ecclestones “rubbish” remark to Massa?
Massa only says that one cannot conclude that the medal system would have made him WDC.
anybody can whatever they like but my boy lewis deserve to win and is gonna win again and again no had feelings.
It is quite pleasing to see Massa has grown so much in stature this last year, especially after the end of the 2008 season. He has shown great maturity and class, but I do not agree with the medals system.
The point being that had a medals system been in place for 2008, then the events of Spa would have made Massa champion by having the extra race win.
There is nothing wrong with playing the game of percentages, collecting points rather than going all out and risking everything for nothing. It happens in other series too, not just in Formula One.
In last years NASCAR finale in Miami, eventual champion Jimmie Johnson settled for 15th place unlike his rival for the championship, Carl Edwards, who finished first. The driver with the most wins all season, Kyle Busch, ended up way down in the pecking order because of a poor performance in the last ten races.
Had there been a medals system in place, Busch would have been the champion as would have Massa in F1.
Does a lack of a medal give drivers less incentive to overtake in NASCAR? No. Because drivers feel more obliged to overtake rather than fear the wrath of stewards decisions and stop and go penalties.
I remember well the Sepang incident of 2002, when Montoya and Michael Schumacher locked horns, costing Michael a front wing. Montoya was hauled in for a penalty, and endlessly asked via radio to the Williams pit wall, what he had done wrong. ‘You have got a drive through penalty for the incident with Michael’, was the response from the Williams team. ‘This is bull@#@#, I gave him room’, was Montoya’s reply.
We witnessed many moments like this over the years, inwhich racing incidents were dealt with with an uneven hand. If Montoya acted badly that day nearly seven years ago, then Schumacher would almost certainly have not won the championship in 1994. Racing should be racing, and courage and skill should be encouraged.
I would not want to risk losing points, for a medal, if it risked getting a penalty that dropped me five places down the grid.
Although I have to agree that Massa is being gracious and sportsmanlike in his comments, I have to point out that really he has very little choice but to be gracious and sportsmanlike, as anything else isn’t required once the racing is finished. He lost the Championship and has to do better next time (and so have Ferrari of course).
Also, Bernie played it very tactfully all last season with his comments - he wants close racing and lots of possible winners to draw in the fans and the sponsors, and he never really can be drawn to say who should win in any season.