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Will Felipe Massa finish the season with Ferrari? (81 posts)

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CarnivorousPope said 1 year, 2 months ago:

I think the Tifosi like him. Last year there were many more Brazilian flags in the crowd than Spanish.

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bearforce1 said 1 year, 2 months ago:

If Massa maintains the form from the first race of 2012 I hope he doesn’t finish the season for his own sake. Quite sad to watch to be frank.

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Pamphlet said 1 year, 2 months ago:

He despises the F2012 and Alonso is still destroying him. If he continues to do this for most of the first half of the season he will be kicked out.

I’m still keeping my hopes up, but it only serves to make me even more depressed.

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CarnivorousPope said 1 year, 2 months ago:

Hopefully it was more the set-up but I wont get my hopes up. He is one of my favourite drivers but I don’t want to see him fail so much. Hopefully he can keep up with Alonso.

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Colossal Squid said 1 year, 2 months ago:

He needs to improve massively over his performance today in the next three races or it’s looking grim. I have no doubt that he’s gone at the end of the season, it’s just terrible to think that the same driver that came within of the 2008 WDC is very possibly being fired mid-season!

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TheJudge said 1 year, 2 months ago:

As from what we’ve seen from Massa since Alfonsos arrival,this is the start of the end for Felipe. He can’t drive that car,it’s hard to handle,but Alonso proves that Massa just hasn’t got it. I will be more than surprised if Ferrari don’t make changes in the line-up by the middle of the season.

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Estesark said 1 year, 2 months ago:

I’m reserving judgement on this until after the first European race, which is the Spanish GP in May. There are usually some big upgrades made then. If Ferrari are still a long way off the pace, then Massa will probably get to keep his seat for the rest of the season no matter how he is performing, as there won’t be much at stake. If they have a quick car, however, and he’s still struggling, then it might be time for the team to get someone better in to fight in the constructors’ championship. Pérez looks a good bet.

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dpod said 1 year, 2 months ago:

Well, after watching the race last night (for me at least), I have reconsidered my position. There is no way on earth he will be able to keep a seat in that Ferrari, especially if he continues to drive like that. He can’t even conserve tires going slower than whole lot of other drivers.

Correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t Massa find himself in Ferrari through some family member?

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Journeyer said 1 year, 2 months ago:

@dpod: Yes – Nicolas Todt, son of Jean, who left Ferrari long ago.

If, as I’m assuming, Ferrari are out of title contention by midseason, then I don’t see why they can’t call Perez up early and get him mileage now so he’s fully up to speed by next year.

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ME4ME said 1 year, 2 months ago:

Massa’s performance over the weekend was dramatic. Not only is he way of the pace compared to his teammate, he also has the habit of finding himselve in trouble, too often to be an coincidense.

In my oppinion Massa really doesn’t deserve his Ferarri seat. There are so many talented drivers on and off the grid, it’s just not acceptable the way he performs. And honestly after today’s performance of Sergio Perez, who is named as Massa’s replacement, Massa could find himselve kicked from the team sooner rather than later. Offcourse, there is then the issue that Perez is currently at Sauber. But if Massa keeps underperforming, Ferarri needs to take action.

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Alianora La Canta said 1 year, 2 months ago:

I expect Felipe to keep his seat for the rest of the season – it’s not really Ferrari’s way to dismiss drivers mid-season unless they do something heinous like call the car a truck (when the other team members aren’t). Since many team members are calling their new car more polite versions of a truck, it would take something spectacularly awful from Felipe to incur di Montezemelo’s wrath mid-season.

I see virtually no hope of Felipe staying at Ferrari for 2013, but that wasn’t the question. In another context I think Felipe could drive well, but the place he’s being asked to fill suited the Felipe of 2006, not the Felipe of 2012. The team has changed, Felipe has changed and they’re no longer the right match for each other.

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dpod said 1 year, 2 months ago:

@Journeyer Thanks! I guess that means he has no reason to stay as I think not many people within Ferrari will really want him except his closest friends.

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Charles said 1 year, 2 months ago:

No he will not make it much pass mid season. He is a good mid pack driver but Ferrari demands much more from their drivers. His team mate showed what a world class driver can do with a machine that is lacking. Massa can’t work under the pressure the Ferrari name automaticly puts on its drivers and this causes him to mistake after mistake as he pushes beyond his talent,

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George said 1 year, 2 months ago:

I think Massa will last the season, simply because Ferrari have put far too much faith in him already, although personally I hope they kick him out as soon as possible.
As for the replacement, Sutil is the obvious choice, he’s experienced with the current regs and was very solid last year. If not him, Alguersuari is still a free(ish) agent and would probably gel well with Alonso. Bianchi could be an outside bet as he’s still in their academy, but the contract negotiations with Force India could be tricky.

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Slr said 1 year, 2 months ago:

Sutil won’t get a drive at Ferrari, his was decent at Force India, but his results didn’t merit him a chance at a top team. Buemi and Alguersuari are good, but I can’t really see Ferrari signing either of them. If Massa went early, then a solid and experienced driver would be the best choice (i.e. Barrichello or Heidfeld), but I can’t see Ferrari hiring them either.

If Ferrari got rid of Massa, then I think they’d have to take a chance on either Fisichella or Bianchi. They both know the team very well and would have the full support of the team. When Heidfeld replaced Kubica at Renault last year, the team never fully supported Heidfeld, possibly due to the lack of relationship before hand. So hiring a free agent or a driver from another team would be a real risk to take, as Ferrari may not even fully back them, the replacement will just be made to play second fiddle to Alonso.

Personally I think keeping Massa for the whole season is the best move, he knows the car, even if he hates it. If Massa just regularly scores points from on, that would have to do, a replacement would likely not score points at all. If Massa really struggles to score points this season, then Ferrari should give Fisichella a try. If Massa can at least score points often, then Ferrari should keep him.

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