Perez too inexperienced for Ferrari – Montezemolo

F1 Fanatic round-up

Posted on

| Written by

In the round-up: Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo says Sergio Perez needs more experience before he’ll be ready to drive for Ferrari.

Links

Top F1 links from the past 24 hours:

Perez needs more experience, says Montezemolo (Reuters)

“Perez is a good driver but to drive a Ferrari you need more experience. I think he is one of the potential best young drivers for the future but before putting a young driver in a Ferrari I need more experience and more results.”

Fernando Alonso backs Felipe Massa to come good (The Independent)

“It’s hard to think Felipe won’t win many points in the second part of the season, that he won’t make podiums or fight for wins. He’s got the talent for it.”

Volatile markets blamed for F1 IPO delay (FT, subscription required)

“Mr Ecclestone said the IPO may not take place until later this year, blaming a volatile equity market.”

Alan Baldwin via Twitter

“Spoke to Bernie [Ecclestone] yesterday about possible Mexican Grand Prix. Said talks ongoing, nothing agreed.”

Analysis: F1 Fuel System (ScarbsF1)

“Major fires in F1 car are now thankfully rare. It’s fair to say the biggest leap in F1 safety has probably been the advent of the flexible fuel cell.”

The Inside Line – on Force India’s Paul di Resta (F1)

“Q: What is your greatest weakness?
PdR: Shouldn’t that be for somebody else to say? On a trivial level, it’s that I sometimes don’t know when to stop eating. When you put food in front of me I find it pretty hard to stop. And that runs against my diet, as I always have to look that I don’t get too heavy, as I am quite tall already.”

Fake Twitter account delivers real results as fan bags a pass to the F1 paddock (The Globe and Mail)

“McArdle, 43, also understands the role of happenstance, since he owes his good fortune to Whiting’s wife’s cousin, Carleton Jefferis, who saw the Twitter feed and was amused by the Canadian’s clever wit. After Jefferis pointed it out to Whiting, the FIA race boss decided to get in touch. A few e-mails led to an invite to F1’s inner sanctum, where common grand prix fans rarely roam.”

Bavaria City Racing Dublin

Home page for this weekend’s event.

Comment of the day

Two DRS zones in Canada last year, one this year, Mads says:

So with the progress so far, we will see no DRS zones in Canada next year? Probably not, but i’m trying to stay optimistic!
Mads

From the forum

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Jayantj and Rahim.RG!

If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is by emailling me, using Twitter or adding to the list here.

On this day in F1

McLaren founder Bruce McLaren died on this day in 1970.

Here’s the team marking the 40th anniversary of his death with a minute’s noise in 2010:

Image © Sauber F1 Team

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

97 comments on “Perez too inexperienced for Ferrari – Montezemolo”

  1. I think he is one of the potential best young drivers for the future but before putting a young driver in a Ferrari I need more experience and more results

    I cannot blame him about the experience, but the results? Not sure that’s something to worry in Perez’s case. After all, Felipe Massa went to Ferrari having scored points just 12 times in 3 seasons…

    Sergio Perez could well be in Massa’s seat and do a much better job. I don’t think experience is helping Felipe that much either, though I have to say I’m glad Montezemolo doesn’t think the same, because I think moving to Ferrari would be a very very bad move for Perez.

    1. Therein lies Ferrari’s problem. Vettel moved straight to Red Bull. Raikkonen moved straight to McLaren. Montoya and Hamilton started with McLaren. Ferrari deciding they are so good that they will only accept established stars limits their choices, and it puts them on a pedestal that their closest rivals realise is too elitist to suit them. And as you said, it actually goes against Ferrari’s own precedent for second drivers anyway. I agree that this year may be a bad idea, but if they don’t take on Perez next year they will be missing out, and I hope one of their rivals capitalises and steals him (unless Ferrari get an even better driver of course, or Massa bizarrely returns to 2008 form).

      1. Montoya for when Williams were a top team?

        1. Montoya and Hamilton started with McLaren.

          Montoya started with BMW Williams in the first 4 years of his career. However, at that time Williams were a top team so your point is still valid.

          1. Vettel actually started as a BMW driver.

        2. Don’t know why I did that. I knew it was Williams, but because I went back to add him in at the end of my post I just dumped him in with Hamilton for some reason.

          1. Well obviously he didn’t go straight in to Red bull because of Toro Rosso too. And Raikkonen didn’t actually drive for McLaren as his first season. My point was that with a sniff of talent, those drivers were taken on to bigger and better things.

      2. None of the drivers you mentioned are support drivers. They want to make sure they dont end up with another driver who cant even back Alonso up. They probably also want to devalue Parez a bit so he has less leverage when it comes to writing up contracts.

        1. Well if they only want a support driver, then he doesn’t need the experience they’re saying Perez is lacking.

          1. They obviously feel otherwise.

          2. I think this a circular argument.

    2. After all, Felipe Massa went to Ferrari having scored points just 12 times in 3 seasons…

      But remember that Massa spent 2003 as Ferrari test driver so the team knew exactly what he was capable of before they signed him as race driver.

      Also don’t forget there was less points on offer back then, In 2002 points only went to 6th & with the top 3-4 teams been so fast/reliable there wasn’t much chance for teams like Sauber to score.
      Points went to 8th in 2004/2005 when Massa was back at Sauber but again with the top teams reliable it was still not easy for teams like Sauber to score regular points.

    3. They are just trying not say the wrong thing in the middle of the championship, driver changes at the middle of the season are uncommon and to add up Ferrari was forced to do that in 09 and that didnt end up well so Ferrari is just trying not to mess up keep their composure keep backing Massa but keep their eyes on the market aswell, their major goal is to land Hamilton which would be both a massive asset for Ferrari and an huge blow to Mclaren.

      1. Dream on. They don’t want egocentric drivers that always criticizes the team when things don’t go their way.

      2. and an huge blow to Mclaren.

        Hmm, only if Lewis is on his A game… Which he seems to be getting back to to a certain extent.

  2. So, does this mean Checo is out of contention for a Ferrari drive? If so, I can’t see Di Resta driving for them either. I guess that leaves Vettel, Webber, Button, Hamilton and Rosberg (Possibly Kubica should he return – I can’t see that though unfortunately). This is tricky, Vettel is apparentley in at Red Bull until 2014 (Which is the year Vettel has claimed to be joining Ferrari), Webber is still on apparent good terms with Red Bull, Button has still got until 2014 now left on his new contract despite heavy links to Ferrari, Lewis has apparentley turned down a $20,000,000 per-year for five years McLaren contract which begs the question – which team might he want to go to? Finally Rosberg, is unsurprisingly remaining loyal to Mercedes by signing until 2013, which he may extend possibly to 2016 before long. It seems like only Webber and Hamilton could replace Massa at Ferrari, which I can’t see Lewis doing, despite the fact he and Alonso would make a brilliant pairing in terms of driving talent, but however due to the rift caused in 2007 when they were McLaren team mates. I guess the obvious choice would have to be Webber, he and Alonso are good friends, they knew each other through Benetton and Minardi, and they have both solid reputations. But one thing is bugging me, alot of people are saying that Webber would only be a one year stand in so Vettel or Checo can be groomed to take his seat in 2014, not even giving Webber a chance. If Ferrari are going to select somebody, it has to be a long-term decision, which is why I may rule out Webber, since he is getting on a bit, still despite going strong – plus I think it is mindset damaging, knowing that the most presdigious team in F1 are using you as a fill-in for 12 months, knowing that no matter what you do, the young golden boy is going to get the seat anyway. It would be even more humiliating if Vettel took the seat after Mark, I think Webber’s mindset has been destroyed by Seb, his late championship resurging career has been compromised by somebody who would still have many more chances. I feel as if also, Webber will have a feeling of Deja Vu, if he has to emulate his experience at Red Bull and be fully-fledged number two once again. Whoever Ferrari pick, he has to be quick, consistent and able to perform at Alonso’s level without feeling rejected by the team that is, F1.

    1. As far as I’m aware the rift wasn’t between alonso and Hamilton but alonso and ron Dennis.
      But do I see them a possible teammates? Unlikely but not impossible. Stranger things have happened.

      1. Well he did seem to take it out on Lewis during his time at McLaren, and so did his supporters.. I know now Alonso and Hamilton have alot more mutual respect for each other now, but I do think it would happen again.

        1. Other option…Massa improves this season as he gets more comfortable with the car, and they retain him for next year.

      2. The story goes that allegedly when Alonso knew about the whole photocopies of the ferrari car handbook he told Dennis to make Hamilton’s car run out of fuel or he goes to the FIA. Alonso apparently came very close to getting the sack mid season for it.

        1. that after Hamilton did not followed the instruction set up before qualifying. So it was Hamilton the one who started it.

          1. In Lewis’ autobiography, he said that he didn’t see Alonso in his mirrors, and he was constantly checking, but he couldn’t see him. Plus he said he saw a Ferrari coming close, and he remembered in the last race that he got passed by a Ferrari too many times, so he just went for it, assuming Alonso had backed out and was in clear air. You want a rethink?

  3. Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo says Sergio Perez needs more experience before he’ll be ready to drive for Ferrari.

    What’s the point of having a young driver programme if you’re not going to use your young drivers?

    1. Well, even a couple of years later, Perez will be still very young driver.

      1. With results behind him that might mean he gets an offer from another top team before Ferrari decide to take him on. Or another top team offers him a drive around the same time as Ferrari, but based on recent form he picks the other team. If Ferrari don’t pick up Perez soon enough, it might cost them.

        1. i think most of the drivers on the grid would drive for ferrari in blink of the eye..some are scared of alonso byt anyway…

          1. Not if they also have an offer for McLaren or Red Bull at the same time. They’d at least consider their options. And if this comes in a couple of years after Ferrari perhaps have another poor season compared to their rivals, they could lose their young driver.

        2. Ferrari very likely have a retainer contract with Parez already. If true, Parez would need Ferrari’s permission to sign for another team.

          1. That sounds anti-competitive to me. Ferrari and Perez likely came to an agreement where, subject to certain conditions – such as results – Perez will one day be in a position whereby he will be offered a Ferrari seat. However, in the event that a seat is available and Perez meets the conditions for it, Ferrari would be obligated to make him an offer. If they do not make that offer, or if Perez declines it, then Ferrari would not be able to dictate the course of his career any longer. They don’t have the right to do that, because if they did, they could abuse it by holding onto talented drivers and preventing them from going elsewhere.

          2. Isn’t it likely to be a first option? So if Ferrari didn’t take Perez for 2013 he’d be free to sign with anybody.

  4. I know Ferrari know what they’re doing but i just cant help but feel they’re missing out. I mean, Lewis Hamilton was thrown in with no F1 experience and he became a WDC. Seb Vettel was given a chance at Red Bull at a very young age yet he has won many races and 2 championships. There are so many other examples.I’m amazed Ferrari haven’t looked at these examples and thought, “hang on a minute, why cant we do that?” Besides, what’s gonna happen when Perez receives an offer he cant refuse in the near future and starts winning with that team? How silly will Ferrari look?

    1. @ferrari_412t – It’s worth remembering that Hamilton had such a superlative record in junior classes, and Vettel showed high amounts of consistency at the Red Bull Junior team. Hamilton’s GP2 title run and Vettel’s numerous top 6’s in a car never expected to do so encouraged Mclaren and RBR to take the risk.

      Perez had his spectacular drive at Malaysia, but he has not been consistent. That podium accounts for half of his career points tally, and he hasn’t even scored since then. That, in my opinion, is why Ferrari should be so hesitant at the moment about snapping him up.

      1. @david-a remember Vettel was one of the last drivers to fully benefit from being part of friday practice as third driver.

        Perez just had a couple of km before starting the new season. And, let’s be honest, these last two seasons have been a lot more unconsistent than 2007-2008, where they usually finished where they started.

        1. @fer-no65 – But Perez has to continue scoring points in order to make himself look good. He can’t sit on the one excellent result forever, then it would start looking like a flukey performance.

  5. Speaking of Perez, I was excited to see he’s confirmed for the FOTA Fans’ Forum in Manhattan! (I’ll be even more excited when *I’M* confirmed for that forum…) Anyway, I guess I assumed drivers on teams that quit FOTA wouldn’t be appearing, so it was a pleasant surprise.

  6. So with the progress so far, we will see no DRS zones in Canada next year? Probably not, but i’m trying to stay optimistic!

    I think this is very pessamistic, and it’s unfair, to cast a dark cloud over upcoming F1 races and all the fans, who enjoy the refreshing & innovative F1 racing that DRS has produced since it’s introduction.

    1. @mattynotwo fair enough, but DRS is really not needed at certain venues were overtaking has been pretty easy in the past, and Montreal stands out as one of those venues.

      Sometimes it’s not even the venue, it’s the DRS zone itself. Why put it at a place that normally sees a lot of overtaking moves anyway? I remember at Spa last year, they put the DRS zone after Eau Rouge. Why?! put it somewhere else, where’s difficult to overtake…

      1. @fer-no65 ‘but DRS is really not needed at certain venues were overtaking has been pretty easy in the past, and Montreal stands out as one of those venues.’

        I don’t think you can just pick and choose which track you have DRS, based on how easy it is to maintain ones position on track.

        1. But isn’t that the point? Hence why some tracks pick and choose whether there’s 1 or 2 zones, based on how easy it is to maintain position.

          1. Thier’s no reason for all this indecision over DRS zones. I think, it should just be 2 DRS zones where available, and then it should never go back to the day’s of bore-fests that most of us did’nt approve of, where it’s to easy for a driver to maintain position.

          2. Why should it be 2 zones? Why not 3? Or4? Or unlimited? Why should passes be unexciting and gifted all the time? Why should there be a zone into a corner where there is usually a high number of passes anyway?

            DRS is a stop-gap solution to reduce the impact of being impeded be the dirty air of the car in front. That is what it is designed to be. So using it where it isn’t necessary (where dirty air barely hinders cars anyway) is against its design principles.

            If nobody approved of F1 before 2011, I find it hard to believe that F1 is the best motorsport for them to follow.

          3. Also, you’re talking about a track that in 2010 had no DRS zones and a truly fantastic race.

          4. I think it should be used to help passing where we normally don’t see it. For some tracks, like Melbourne, this applies to the whole track essentially. So having even 3 zones won’t hurt. However, in Canada, the back straight already allows cars to pass, without DRS, so there is no need for it. Same as Monza, you don’t really need to encourage what is already happening.

        2. I don’t think you can just pick and choose which track you have DRS, based on how easy it is to maintain ones position on track.

          They chose how many DRS zones each event has. They also decide how long each of them will be.

          So what’s the difference between what I said and what they arre doing right now? I agree DRS is a good addition to the sport, at least it’s a short-term solution to the dirty air problem. But they shouldn’t apply it where’s not needed.

          They wanted to make overtaking easier, right? Why make it easier at an easy place to overtake? It’s illogical.

    2. monkey mgee (@jokerinthepack)
      2nd June 2012, 3:05

      I’m more in line with the first part of your comment, hoping for this DRS gimmick to end. But as for the second half of your comment, I personally don’t know anyone enthused by the DRS. I think most people feel it is too contrived to give a decided advantage to the trailing car, even if overtakes increase.

      1. Moron (@fokkinmoron)
        2nd June 2012, 7:24

        I agree with the “gimmick” part of DRS. I think the drivers should be able to use it WHENEVER they want to when within a second of the leading car.
        Tell me it wouldn’t be a little more exciting seeing the drivers using it when they could and I will respectfully disagree :)

        1. It would end up being like Nascar, where they switch places so easily and so often that the race is impossible to follow. People would only bother watching the last 10 laps (like nascar) to find out who wins the lottery.

          1. @infy

            No it wouldn’t. Once a faster car is ahead, they would stay that way.

            Only Monza, and maybe even Canada would allow for anything like what you describe.

            I still think it should be available a certain number of times each race.

          2. @mike

            If the leading car no longer has DRS and the car that it just over took now does, then surely the car that was just overtaken will then simply retake the position?

            The lead car would need to get out of that 1 second window, and considering DRS can give you a ton of time if employed anywhere on track, I just dont see the lead car pulling away.

    3. What innovative & refreshing racing?

      1. I certainly do not feel refreshed and as for innovation why not just wave a blue flag and save the teams lots of money.

      2. “What innovative & refreshing racing?”

        @david-a That’s an excellent question, and I’m
        glad you asked that.

        I think the Spanish GP this year was a very refreshing change from the usual underwhelming races thier. Don’t you agree with that?

        Of course DRS is innovative. No other racing series on the planet has DRS yet & no other series can produce the innovative style of racing F1 produces with DRS.

        1. @mattynotwo I thought DRS was intended as a stop-gap solution, built on the idea of the F-Duct? It doesn’t actually fix the underlying issue that drove F1 down this route- the “dirty air” problem in high speed corners, since it is only used on straights.

          There’s a good chance we’d have racing as good without DRS, given the tyres, EBD ban and fundamentally close field we have anyway.

          1. @david-a Let me stop you right thier. Can you answer my question as to weather you agree that the Spanish GP was better than previous years.

          2. @mattynotwo – Yes it was. But I think that it could have been as good without DRS.

          3. ‘– Yes it was.’ Thank you

            ” But I think that it could have been as good without DRS.”

            I just can’t imagine how you could think that, when that race had many,many years to produce this years race, and never did. History of the races thier tells me that it would be, nearly impossible, to have as good race as this year.

          4. @mattynotwo – Because in other years, we didn’t have a field as close as we have this year, nor did we have tyres designed to wear so quickly.

          5. Exactly, look how many passes happened out of the DRS zone. That is evidence that DRS is not what made Spain a good race.

            Also, you say ‘innovative’. It’s just a flap. It’s painfully simple, and the something teams would no doubt have utilised years ago if the rules didn’t prevent them. It isn’t innovation if it is demanded by the rules long after people have tried similar concepts (flexible wings).

          6. @david-a lol, I should have known you could’nt admit that DRS improved the racing at Spain this year and that you’d point in any other direction possible.

          7. @mattynotwo please explain to me how DRS directly made racing better in Spain, and how the tyres and KERS were in no way responsible? Passes where one driver drove clean around the other before the braking zone do not count.

          8. ‘Exactly, look how many passes happened out of the DRS zone. That is evidence that DRS is not what made Spain a good race.’

            Yeah, I know thier was passing outside of DRS zones, and thier also was also excellent racing into turn 1, and I’m positive the fans in the stands at turn 1 were stoked with all the action.

            That being said, I think, it does beg the question, as to why, all off a sudden, after years of bore-fests at Spain, that most of us did’nt approve off, they can pass here, they can pass thier, look, they can pass everywhere, I mean, it makes it look like the teams must have had an agreement to not even try to pass each other.

            Also, you say ‘innovative’. It’s just a flap.

            Yeah, it is just a flap, but, it is an innovation that no F1 car has been fitted with before, it is an innovation that no other racing series has yet, and lastly, it is producing a fresh,modern, innovative style of racing, that no other racing series can produce.

          9. As I said, it is only around now because the rules wouldn’t allow it before, but now the rules demand it. Therefore it is in no way innovative. Mercedes own special DRS beyond what the rules intended- that is innovative.

            How is the racing innovative, fresh or modern? It’s just easy passing. Why is it modern, innovative or fresh to have drivers passing easily? No other racing series produces DRS overtaking because they don’t need it and realise that it is detrimental to real racing.

            That being said, I think, it does beg the question, as to why, all off a sudden, after years of bore-fests at Spain, that most of us did’nt approve off, they can pass here, they can pass thier, look, they can pass everywhere, I mean, it makes it look like the teams must have had an agreement to not even try to pass each other.

            As has been said already- new tyres, closer field, KERS, drivers out of position and being faster than those ahead. DRS gave a couple of okay passes into turn 1, and a lot of artificial motorway style ones, which are both boring and anti-climactic.

          10. I don’t see how anyone could be a fan of DRS, All it does is produce the most boring & unexciting passes possible.

            What is so fun about watching a driver push a button & cruise easily past half way down a straght with the car been passed unable to do anything to even try & defend?

            I’ve still yet to see any DRS pass thats even been a little exciting, They have all been dead boring & just as bad as seeing no pass at all!!!!!!!!!!!!

            BAN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

          11. @matt90 ‘ please explain to me how DRS directly made racing better in Spain, and how the tyres and KERS were in no way responsible?’

            I never said KERS and tyres did’nt contribute.

            Look, all I can say, is that from where I was sitting, the racing into turn 1 was good, very competitive,the way it should be.
            And like I said above, fans sitting in must have enjoyed it as well, since, as far as I’m aware, they did’nt start yelling and screaming and getting all upset about the fact that DRS had ruined thier day, or that they saw too much action, or that someone passed someone else on a straight and not in a breaking zone, I mean shorly, thier must be some Spanish F1 site that has had 10000 angry fans smash DRS if this was case, but, thier’s not that I,m aware of, so, I can only surmise, that they just really enjoyed thier day at the races.

          12. Are you Spanish then?

        2. No other racing series on the planet has DRS yet

          World Series By Renault 3.5 is trying DRS although there system is more like an F-duct than a moving wing flap.

          The WSBR system is also less effective in terms of speed gain which thus far has got cars alongside but not totally past so its actually created better racing than the moveable flap F1 uses.

          I think DRS in F1 is a joke to be honest, Its turned me off the sport I’ve loved since I was a child. I want to watch good racing with proper overtakes & not boring uncontested passes done half way down a straght.

          Been honest I’d rather see no overtakes than have to sit through even a single DRS pass.

    4. It’s been said by others on this site before but DRS usage during races should be handled like it is in qualifying, at the drivers discretion. Give them an allotted number of activations, 40% the number of laps or something, and let them to duke it out.

  7. So I’m thinking of starting another fake Massa Twitter account to convince Ferrari to give me a drive by the end of the year!

  8. I think that Alonso’s recent comments regarding his team-mate and possible replacements have shown that at Ferrari he has become very mature in and out of car and that Ferrari are is team. His twitter feed has probably helped this as well, but there is definitely a more vocal support of Alonso in forums which were previously seen as dangerous if you were an FA fan. Who would have thought in late 2007 that Alonso would be publicly supporting Hamilton as a team-mate. Or that when he destroyed a team-mate he would back them and praise them? Many people forget that before Alonso moved to Ferrari that Massa were far from friends. if it had been written that Alonso was slating Massa privately, then many people would have believed you.

    Ferrai and Alonso are the perfect match and he apparently has a very high stature in the team.

    As for all the noise of SP going to Ferrari, even if he has to stay at Sauber for another year that can hardly be bad as the team are very competitive this season. And Ferrari could fill the gap with Webber for a season. I personally see Vettel heading to Mercedes before replacing Alonso at Ferrari but that is another story…

  9. Slighty off topic but this is how I see and (want to see) the 2014 driver line up

    Ferrari : Alonso, Perez
    McLaren: Button, Di Resta
    Red Bull: Hamilton, Vergne
    Merecedes: Vettel, Rosberg

    This is assumiing that Webber and Scumacher retire of course! Webber possibly after a year at Ferrari.

  10. Di Resta is in a very strong position.

    Mercedes is the obvious seat, if Schumacher retires this year.
    Mclaren if they want all Brits again if Hamilton leaves.
    Ferrari if they want the most experienced ‘newish’ talent.

    1. @calum

      Mclaren if they want all Brits again if Hamilton leaves.

      Every team is obligated to take the best available driver at any given time. Why would McLaren take di Resta for the sake of having an all-British line-up if they felt there was a better driver available? The only reason why they have two British drivers right now is because Button and Hamilton are the best drivers that they can get, not because they’re a British team who only want to take British drivers.

      If Ferrari were to replace Massa with Webber (as has been suggested), and Red Bull were to take Hamilton (as has been hoped), then I could conceivably see McLaren picking up Sergio Perez. Perez might be a Ferrari development driver, but he’s not going to wait forever for a vacancy to open up.

      Mclaren if they want all Brits again if Hamilton leaves.

      If I were Mercedes and Schumacher retired again, I’d be inclined to take Robert Wickens. He may not have driven a Formula 1 car before, but he is a part of Mercedes’ development programme and has had success in every open-wheel series he has tried his hand at. He’s currently going to waste in DTM, but I get the sense that he’s only there so that Mercedes can hold onto him.

      I’d even be sorely tempted to give Kevin Korjus a go. Right now, he’s partnered with Jules Bianchi in Formula Renault 3.5, and Bianchi – as we all know – has Ferrari support. If Korjus beats Bianchi, I’d say he’s practically assured of a seat in Formula 1 next year, simply because Bianchi is so highly-rated by Ferrari. Though if a) Raikkonen were to leave Lotus (and some of his actions in Monaco suggest the team aren’t happy with him) and b) there are no vacancies at any other Renault-powered team, Mercedes might have to fight Lotus for him.

      Ferrari if they want the most experienced ‘newish’ talent.

      Sergio Perez has an equal amount of experience to di Resta. Luca just said that Perez doesn’t have enough experience, so why would they take di Resta?

      If Ferrari want the “most experienced ‘newish’ talent”, as you put it, then surely they’d lean towards Kamui Koabayshi, who seems to have rediscovered his mojo of late.

      1. Excellent analysis.

  11. Question for anyone. If someone from the Ferrari development programme somehow managed to get an F1 seat with a team lets say Sauber. And he/she was 19/20 years old but had a brilliant debut season with endless top 10 finishes and a podium or even a win. Would Ferrari consider taking he/she onboard for the following season?

    1. I would think so.

    2. Probably, but to achieve all that last year in that Sauber would probably involve a deal with the devil to strike down all other drivers.

  12. That was quite nice of real Charlie Whiting to do that! I have been following him for a while and he really is a bag of laughs.

  13. What a crock of shoe polish,. I have lost all my sympathy for that team,. Snobs.

  14. One thing for sure. That Ferrari is looking for people to replace Massa.

  15. I feel like this Massa replacement speculation is going too far for the present moment. What if he really does have 13 solid races from now?

    1. And actually I feel exactly the same way about Pirelli criticism. Think to the end of last year, when tire strat was boring because teams knew the tires too well. We are only 6 races deep. I can see where the “no pit stops” crowd is coming from, kind of… but given what we have, I think this season is awesome and will continue to be awesome even as teams get a better handle on the tires.

    2. I think that applies for both Massa and Perez. They’re both still in contention for the seat.

  16. Perez is one of the fast drivers on track but his inconsistency is question mark for Ferrari.
    I don’t count his Malaysia podium finished. Currently, he has got more support from Sauber team and his sponsor than his team mate Kamui but you can’t discount Kamui’s ability and quality. Kamui is more consistent and faster than Perez in the race. Kamui needs luck.
    If he another podium finished in clean race and clear weather and then I’ll recognize him as ready for Ferrari or other big team. Big teams have invested a lot of money even though their spending money was limited by FAI. So they don’t want the driver someone who always crash out. I think F1 community has better information on driver’s ability, quality and how they can help develop car. So best drivers will go to big team one day.
    For me, Perez needs to pass all criteria for to become top contender for Championship.
    Current Ferrari car was not top condition so I don’t blame Masa for not being competitive this time.

    1. Sorry but what inconsistency ? He is never been below 11 when racing , also podium and just cause Grojean got him once went to DNF and Maldonado purposedly ruin his podium Monaco car.
      Canada will be good for Saubers !

      1. He is never been below 11 when racing

        He’s only been above 11th twice this season though. Perez needs to deliver regular points. Then his case for a Ferrari drive gets even stronger. His podium and decent race in Australia were a good start though.

  17. FIA has declared the RB8’s floor illegal, as reported by the F1 Times: http://thef1times.com/news/display/06144

  18. IMO they should keep Massa in 2013 and look for Perez in 2014. Right now Alonso would destroy young Perez, they must protect him for at least another year.

  19. I think Montezemolo is right about Perez. Ferrari need to see a definite improvement in their second car and while you can argue that Massa isn’t delivering much at the moment, the last thing Ferrari need is to put themselves in that position again. I don’t think they should leave it too long if they do want him, maybe another year at Sauber under his belt first. See how he fares up against Kobayashi.

  20. Gaston (@golarrazabal)
    2nd June 2012, 14:13

    Ferrari too pretentious for most drivers – Montezemolo

    1. Remember Perez already publicly said he is not interested in Ferrari this season, so M is just making sure is clear he has anyway the last call. But he maybe shooting himself in the foot if Perez gets another podium and Ferrari do want him desperately, he could then get twice or much paycheck than before cause Hamilton cost 20m a year !

  21. I’m encouraged that Ferrari don’t want an absolute greenhorn beside FA, but at the same time I’m not convinced they want a proven WDC beside him either. So I think they might be hoping FM comes to grips with the car as the season goes along, which he is showing signs of doing, and they can then justifiably retain him after this year.

  22. Eddie Irvine had 2 seasons plus 2 races behind him when Ferrari signed him for 1996, Perez will have that 2 full seasons by the end of the year.
    Felipe Massa had 3 seasons behind him in 2006. (So what is Montezemolo talking about?!)
    The other driver was a world champion both times, and the results were expected from him and not from Irvine and Massa. Ferrari now has a world champion again, so the other seat could easily be handed to a “not that much experienced” driver, like Perez.

  23. Perez is overrated. What has he done after Malaysia? Nothing. Kobayashi is way better. Perez is inconsistent and a mediocre driver at best. There are many other better drivers than Perez. Kobayashi, lubricant, did esta, webber,vergne, alguasari, etc,etc

    1. Well except Webber which is already in a top team, all others greenhorns are below Perez in points…

  24. If they want future Champion, they should steal Bottas from Williams.

Comments are closed.