Massa: “I am not a number two”

July 29, 2010 at 6:21 pm by Keith Collantine

Felipe Massa denied he is now playing a ‘number two’ role to Fernando Alonso at Ferrari having given up a win for his team mate in the German Grand Prix.

Speaking in a press conference at the Hungaroring Massa added that he would not hand over a win to Alonso if he is in the same situation again this weekend.

Here’s part of what Massa was asked during the press conference:

Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) Felipe, after the last race, I asked you if you were not worried about your image in Brazil, and you said ‘absolutely no.’ And after almost a week, we realise what happened there. What’s your comment? People say that you betrayed the country.
FM: For sure not. I will always do everything I can for my country. For me my country is the most important thing. For sure, I have already proved many times in my life many things I did in my life, in my career, what I’m able to do for my country, and as I said, definitely whoever is thinking like that is completely wrong. I’m doing everything I can, I will always do everything I can for my country, which is the most important thing for me, because it’s my home.

Q: (Ian Parkes – The Press Association) Felipe, welcome back here first of all. In the post-race press conference in Germany, obviously neither yourself nor Fernando (Alonso) would concede that team orders had taken place. Obviously what followed was that the FIA found Ferrari guilty and fined them, and the matter is now going before the World Motorsport Council. On that basis, can we get your reaction to the fact that the FIA found Ferrari guilty? And also you said that you were looking forward to fighting for victory here. If a similar situation to what happened in Germany was to arise here, would you be allowed to fight for victory?
FM: As I said, there’s no real point in going back to last weekend. We need to think about the present. I think we have spoken a lot about what’s happened in the last race. So yes, I will fight for victory here in whatever conditions.

Q: (Arianna Ravelli – Corriere della Sera) So if you are in the same situation this weekend, you will react in the same way or not?
FM: I will win.

Q: (Anne Giuntini – L’Equipe) Felipe, we understood that when you say that you are working for the team, at least when you said it last week, working for the team now risks to be working for your team-mate.
FM: For sure not. I’m working for the team and we know how important it is to work for the team.

Q: (Giuntini) But if your team-mate has to fight to be World Champion, it’s mainly himself…
FM: Well, I think you remember very well what has happened in the past, no? In 2007. You remember very well what’s happened in 2008, no? So I don’t think you really have to go through all the points. For sure, if the team really has the chance to win the championship I want the best for the team.

Q: (Sarah Holt – BBC Sport) Felipe, have you had assurances from the team that you will be able to be allowed to continue fighting for victory? Have you spoken to them about that? It hasn’t affected your motivation?
FM: Sure, for sure I’ve spoken to everybody inside the team. As I said, I’m not here really just to race, I’m here to win. That’s really my point. As long as I am in the condition to win, we need to go to the end, to fight for victory. As long as the condition is different then I definitely want the best for the team. I work for the team, I’m professional and I think everybody needs to understand my point.

The other drivers present were also asked about Massa’s situation.

Rubens Barrichello, who famously handed over a win to Michael Schumacher in the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix while driving for Ferrari, was first to reply:

Q: (Holly Samos – BBC Radio Five Live) This is a question for Rubens, Felipe, whoever else might want to answer: should the team order rule be scrapped? What’s your view?
RB: It’s not up to us to decide. Whenever they said team orders should not take place, other ways of telling the driver to back off were introduced. So in that respect, you should think, ‘OK, so this should not take place’ and then the team should decide to do whatever.

I just think that we should do something to stop this thing, because at the end of the day, it could get into a bit of drama here. When you are racing, you want to beat the other one, but I wouldn’t feel nice, I wouldn’t feel good if you tell me ‘I’ll give you this which makes you faster than the other one’ and then you win. I don’t like that, I never did and that’s why I had to make changes in my life and that’s why I changed teams and that’s why I moved on.

So I think it’s in the hands of the top people to change that because you should be allowed to race. What’s the problem? If you don’t win the championship by one point, so be it. You had your chance, you had to go, and then you win the championship by one point because somebody let you win? What’s the point? That’s my view.

If I have to be a bad guy to be World Champion, I don’t care for that. I will teach my boys the same way my father taught me and I’m happy with that.

Heikki Kovalainen: I don’t really want to get into this debate too much. I’m just here to race.

Robert Kubica: It’s not so simple, I think. We are all working for our teams. I think the most important…unless you like it or you don’t like it is the team. If there’s a chance or an opportunity to help the team to score better results or whatever in the final standings, it’s normal that you are asked to do it. It’s normal that you will do it, and that’s very simple. I know it’s not always easy to let your team mate by but sometimes it’s important for the team, and that’s how it was working, that’s how it will work for many years, so unless we say it’s not allowed to overtake your team-mate, because I think this is the only rule to stop it, but you cannot put it. It was like this ten years ago, it will be like this in the next ten years.

Heikki Kovalainen was later asked again about team orders but refused to comment on it.

Read the full press conference here

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139 comments on Massa: “I am not a number two”

almanac said on 30th July 2010, 8:23

and here is a part what Heikki was asked during the press conference
“Q. (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) I have a question for Heikki: this has been a week where everybody’s been criticising Ferrari for not being very sporting with team orders, but if I’m not wrong, in 2008, in Hockenheim, you received the same message on the radio from Ron Dennis: ‘Lewis is much faster than you’ and Lewis passed you in the same turn as Felipe and he won the championship by one point. Is that true?

HK: I don’t remember that. For me, there’s no point in going into the past, actually. I’m just here to race with Lotus and that’s all I can say. ”

this time wasn’t a crime cuze was done from mclaren
so was ok

almanac said on 30th July 2010, 8:31

does this one looks like team orders? or is just my imagination
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epI6u6uA8hM

- Regis said on 30th July 2010, 9:48
  
  This has already been shown a few times.
  
  Everyone is attacking ferrari because they hate them. Its not fair at all. They are ALL guilty !!
  
  Therefore no one is guilty.
  
  - tota said on 30th July 2010, 10:54
    
    wow, that’s good argument,
    
    I think, every one who is attacking Ferrari, doing this, because ferrari has permanent attitude to cheat and having no regrets about it at all, at any point for years,
    
    and so, I feel, that some maybe are tired of this situation, so it would be good for the sport and for ferrari, if they got punished harshly, finally
    
    and besides, that would be good for image of Mr Todt, many could sleep well, knowing that there is nothing going on behind the scene, under the green table
    
  - tharris19 said on 30th July 2010, 15:47
    
    The only way no one is guilty is there is no rule. There may be no justice but there is a rule and Ferrari broke it as did Massa. As for the McLaren 2008 overtake it is obvious that HK let Hamilton pass as to why it wasn’t address at that time, that is question that needs to be anwsered by Charlie Whiting and his crew.
    
SPA09 said on 30th July 2010, 9:29

I think Massa has always been number 2, the funny thing is they sacrificed Kimis rep, for this clown in 2008. If they had made few Alonsos for Kimi when he still was leading after 4 first races of 08 campaign, it would have been easy WDC 08 for Kimi. They opted go with this clown, what a joke.

Ferrari did make right choice. Massa is just not the same class as few best drivers out there.

edugg said on 30th July 2010, 10:06

You are right Felipe, you are not number 2 you are number 3 driver, the number 2 is Emilio Botín.

antonyob said on 30th July 2010, 12:08

hes not for sure or three sure but he is two sure. one is sure of that

Pres1dent said on 30th July 2010, 12:17

Keep saying it, maybe one day you’ll believe it…

PJA said on 30th July 2010, 13:00

I’m sorry but Massa proved by letting Alonso through in Germany that for the rest of this season at least he is the number two driver at Ferrari.

He has been the in this position before at Ferrari, such as Brazil 2007 when Raikkonen won the race and so the championship, but Massa has also been the number one driver at Ferrari when Raikkonen let him through at Japan 2008.

So although I think it is unlikely if Massa is beating Alonso next year the team will at some time choose Massa as the number one again.

Also does anyone think that if the roles had been reversed last weekend with Alonso leading but behind in the championship that he would have let Massa through?

I think he probably would have if it had been nearer to the end of the season and Alonso was mathematically out of the running but I doubt he would just after the halfway point in the season.

Perhaps Massa is just too much of a nice guy for modern F1.

lord sauron said on 30th July 2010, 13:52

the one in the higher ranking of the table is always the no. 1 driver. so massa dude you can count yourself out of the elite list this year. Hockenheim shall happen again and again till this season finishes.

antonyob said on 30th July 2010, 15:41

im fed up with this now. red bull do have team orders they just dont give them clearly. ferrari do, they just dont know how to do it subtley. Mclaren do and they generally get it right. the rest, the rest are just happy to get more than a point. Team orders are in and i for one dont care. Please someone explain to me why it matters to you if a team lets car 1 win or car 2 win. – unless you are a 15 yr old fanboy. show me this and i will show you someone who knows nothing about this sport. only, what upsets them goggling their tv on sunday. and who cares about them.

theRoswellite said on 31st July 2010, 6:37

@ Antonyob: Let me see….

I guess it matters to me because I would prefer F1 to be more about sport than business, more about the drivers than the teams and more about competition on the track than controversy off the track.

Oh, I try to watch the races on Sundays, not goggle, and that’s been from about 1959…you know…Moss, Brabham, Gurney…