Massa : ''i will no longer play adjutant (to Alonso), now i attack''

Only way Massa can help Alonso is if he kamikaze Vettel out the first corner.

He had a lot of seasons at Ferrari and, before that, being groomed in Sauber for Ferrari. No-one has a Ferrari seat by right, and it always has to come to an end sometime.  I don't know that you can look at it as being fired. Ferrari wanted to make a change after eight years. Either Felipe has done enough to be attractive to other teams, in which case he will have opportunities (like Barrichello or Irvine), or he hasn't.  

There's a slight difference. Barrichello left on his terms, with a contract with Honda in his back pocket. Massa was always looking to re-sign with Ferrari. Now, that Ferrari have dropped him, he's looking for a seat. 

There's a slight difference. Barrichello left on his terms, with a contract with Honda in his back pocket. Massa was always looking to re-sign with Ferrari. Now, that Ferrari have dropped him, he's looking for a seat. 

Barrichello chased that Honda contract as he knew Ferrari were going to replace him.

Barrichello chased that Honda contract as he knew Ferrari were going to replace him.

Ferrari had offered to renew his contract, IIRC, but Indy 2005 just did it for Rubens. 

Barrichello chased that Honda contract as he knew Ferrari were going to replace him.

No, Barrichello requested early termination of his contract IIRC. He had another year. I'd imagine he realised he was not going to be the post-Schumacher team leader. I don't think it makes his case much different from Massa, though.

hahahahahahahaha Felipe, you're a funny man.

How I wish Ferrari fires Felipe tomorrow.....      

Felipe baby, stay cool... We are bringing the balls now! 

There's a slight difference. Barrichello left on his terms, with a contract with Honda in his back pocket. Massa was always looking to re-sign with Ferrari. Now, that Ferrari have dropped him, he's looking for a seat. 

So he should be fired up then.

I predict his new attitude results in some spins on his own.

Sounds like empty chest-beating to me...

Sorry Felipe but you've wasted that coveted seat for too many years now, move along please.

Massa would have done better to take this attitude into his races, and talk about it afterwards.  Now he is setting himself up for failure.  I worry for him.

So this might be the last time he lets Alonso by...

Only way Massa can help Alonso is if he kamikaze Vettel out the first corner.

He's got form for that.  Ask Lewis Hamilton.

Finally a mouse roars - shame he's no Rat. I doubt Alonso is remotely bothered but Massa does has a reputation for causing stupid accidents if he feels slighted.

There would be more dignity and enhanced employment prospects in just seeing this through Baby.

Seano

Filipe, you've always been a little ****. Good riddance.

Felipe, you forgot about pit-stops.

If you seriously think you have a chance to race with and beat Fernando, think again

Between the Ferrari hate and the Alonso love, Felipe gets a ridiculously hard ride from the 'fans'.

I hope he finds his old pace and a bit of peace.

Maybe Ferrari should have told him they wouldn't renew his contract after FA had no mathematical possibilities at the WDC. In any case, as someone said, the smart thing would have been to just do it, not announce it. Now Ferrari will be warned and they'll keep him as far away from FA as possible. In any case, he should have said this after HH 2010, not now...

A turn of front wing will sort his attitude out.

reading comments here, it feels like some people think that if Massa doesn't bend over for Alonso, it will be Blasphemy (since many views Alonso as 'The God') 

reading comments here, it feels like some people think that if Massa doesn't bend over for Alonso, it will be Blasphemy (since many views Alonso as 'The God') 

It's the same with all the other camps and their little politics, the Kimis, the Lewis bands, the Buttons... Sporting fans are very attached to their idols, and will slaughter the infidels with Katana swords. 

As long as Alonso has even the slightest chance for WDC Massa will have to play ball...If he doesn't they will dump him immediately and place Kobayashi in the seat.

He should have attacked in the last 4 years and helped the team. Instead, not counting the races when somebody had to retire, since the start of the 2010 season, Massa managed to finish in front of Vettel just 5 times, and just 9 times in front of Webber! In 2011 season he never managed to finish a race in front of Red Bull at all!! On the other hand, Alonso, in the same car, has managed to finish in front of Vettel 21 times, and in front of Webber 32 times.

Massa was lucky that he wasn't fired after 2011 season.

He should have attacked in the last 4 years and helped the team. Instead, not counting the races when somebody had to retire, since the start of the 2010 season, Massa managed to finish in front of Vettel just 5 times, and just 9 times in front of Webber! In 2011 season he never managed to finish a race in front of Red Bull at all!! On the other hand, Alonso, in the same car, has managed to finish in front of Vettel 21 times, and in front of Webber 32 times.

 

Massa was lucky that he wasn't fired after 2011 season.

At times I wonder if it really is the car, but most times, Massa does these amazing starts, keeps on the pace, but after the first pit stop it's as if he leaves in the garage his pedals and goes backwards, then with a few laps to go, he starts driving agian. So... it can't be the car, and you're right about 2011... and early 2012 which cost Ferrari both titles.

He will probably do much better this weekend, mainly because he seems to have gained some confidence and a "dont give a ****" attitude instead of the broken man who is just lost and without purpose...

I'm not so sure, I think there's every chance he'll overdrive it into the wall.

He should have attacked in the last 4 years and helped the team. Instead, not counting the races when somebody had to retire, since the start of the 2010 season, Massa managed to finish in front of Vettel just 5 times, and just 9 times in front of Webber! In 2011 season he never managed to finish a race in front of Red Bull at all!! On the other hand, Alonso, in the same car, has managed to finish in front of Vettel 21 times, and in front of Webber 32 times.

 

Massa was lucky that he wasn't fired after 2011 season.

Those are pretty shocking stats to read, poor Felipe baby...

He should have attacked in the last 4 years and helped the team. Instead, not counting the races when somebody had to retire, since the start of the 2010 season, Massa managed to finish in front of Vettel just 5 times, and just 9 times in front of Webber! In 2011 season he never managed to finish a race in front of Red Bull at all!! On the other hand, Alonso, in the same car, has managed to finish in front of Vettel 21 times, and in front of Webber 32 times.

 

Massa was lucky that he wasn't fired after 2011 season.

Spot on!

2011 was most likely the worst performance (car-adjusted) of any driver ever.

Only way Massa can help Alonso is if he kamikaze Vettel out the first corner.

Is he ever close enough to do so?

He should have attacked in the last 4 years and helped the team. Instead, not counting the races when somebody had to retire, since the start of the 2010 season, Massa managed to finish in front of Vettel just 5 times, and just 9 times in front of Webber! In 2011 season he never managed to finish a race in front of Red Bull at all!! On the other hand, Alonso, in the same car, has managed to finish in front of Vettel 21 times, and in front of Webber 32 times.

 

Massa was lucky that he wasn't fired after 2011 season.

Yeah this says enough. Webber helped out Vettel a lot by finishing in front of Alonso, Massa was useless in this sense.

This quote from Montezemolo on Kimi also speaks volumes:

“The break has done him (Kimi) good, he has returned to greatness, he’s won races, he’s finished lots of races. I wanted a driver who would make me look back on Massa with regret and I’ve got one. From Raikkonen I am demanding victories, consistency, podiums."

Massa's problem was of course his injury.  The time it takes to get back up to speed is roughly the time absent from the sport.

The problem was that that meant that, when he recovered fully, and was heading for a win, he was told to give it up to Alonso.

He's been psychologically dead ever since.  Not that he was ever the strongest anyway (remember him whingeing like a stuck pig at Monza in 2005ish when Alonso was about three miles ahead of him?  Probably on FIArrari orders so there was the shadow of a hint of a suggestion of a scintilla of justification for them to screw Renault).

But anyway, another victim of Alonso's famous team spirit.

The problem was that that meant that, when he recovered fully, and was heading for a win, he was told to give it up to Alonso.

Note that the reason he was heading for a win was because Vettel put Alonso in the wall at the start, not because he was faster than Alonso in qualifying or in the race.

Spot on!

2011 was most likely the worst performance (car-adjusted) of any driver ever.

I think he was even worse in the first part of 2012. After Germany Alonso had 154 points and Massa 23, 62 -8 if we use the old scoring system

Although I have never been a fan of Raikkonen, I am happy they signed him. He is going to help a lot.

Edited by BorkoF2012, 17 September 2013 - 07:50.

Not that he was ever the strongest anyway (remember him whingeing like a stuck pig at Monza in 2005ish when Alonso was about three miles ahead of him? 

 

To judge from their more recent qualifying Monza antics, back in 2005 Ferrari should have been thanking Alonso for the helpful tow.

For me Massa stopped being a race-driver at Hockenheim 2010. Just like Barrichello, when he first moved over for Schumacher...

It would be great to see a "new" Massa the next 7 races! But then there would be some unexplainable DNF from the Ferrari...

The problem was that that meant that, when he recovered fully, and was heading for a win, he was told to give it up to Alonso.

 

Which was emphatically the right decision.

There's far too much mawkish sentimentality about Hockenheim 2010. It was absolutely the right thing to do given the state of the championship at that time and was one of the main reasons why Alonso went into Abu Dhabi with an 8-point lead.

And as a result of placating St Fernando, Ferrari cut off its right bollock.  Long-term it was disastrous.  Ferrari hasn't had a sniff of the WCC since; it's taken four years to get a racer in the second car.

Sorry, but this whole idea that Massa was damaged emotionally since Hockenheim 2010 and has never been the same since is something I find ridiculous. He's had over three years to get over it. He's shown flashes of form since then, he just hasn't been able to string these together consistently. I'm surprised Ferrari kept him this long, to be honest.

If you read LdM latest interview on the gazzetta.it, when asked about the fact the Massa might not help Alonso in the remaining races, he says something like.."no way", he will help him and that he is sure that Massa wants to finish the year on a high by helping them with WCC and Alonso on the WDC.

If you read LdM latest interview on the gazzetta.it, when asked about the fact the Massa might not help Alonso in the remaining races, he says something like.."no way", he will help him and that he is sure that Massa wants to finish the year on a high by helping them with WCC and Alonso on the WDC.

Of course every team likes to get a driver, who can say, that instead of winning races himself, he helped the team and his teammate to WCC and WDC...

Sorry, but this whole idea that Massa was damaged emotionally since Hockenheim 2010 and has never been the same since is something I find ridiculous. He's had over three years to get over it. He's shown flashes of form since then, he just hasn't been able to string these together consistently. I'm surprised Ferrari kept him this long, to be honest.

Given the way Smogger Smedley had to talk him through traffic and races, I don't find it ridiculous.  Massa had a somewhat unorthodox route into F1 and had generally been in a comfortable environment.  I don't think he had developed the mental strength to deal with rejection.

These people have access to leading sports psychologists and the teams encourage the drivers to make use of them (e.g. we know Grosjean saw a psychologist after last season). There's not really an excuse for systemic mental weakness in an F1 driver these days.

Edited by wj_gibson, 17 September 2013 - 09:40.

And as a result of placating St Fernando, Ferrari cut off its right bollock.  Long-term it was disastrous.  Ferrari hasn't had a sniff of the WCC since; it's taken four years to get a racer in the second car.

You're not really discussing (or care for) Massa, it's all just a stick to bash Alonso and Ferrari with.

Massa is who he is, who he always was. What happened to him happened because he is who he is, you'd never see the same with Vettel, Hamilton or Alonso. Massa has got only himself to blame. He had two chances in 2010 to become a bigger man, first by refusing the order in Hockenheim, second by leaving the team on the spot. Predictably he blew both chances, now he's got no right to complain at all.

You're not really discussing (or care for) Massa, it's all just a stick to bash Alonso and Ferrari with.

 

Massa is who he is, who he always was. What happened to him happened because he is who he is, you'd never see the same with Vettel, Hamilton or Alonso. Massa has got only himself to blame. He had two chances in 2010 to become a bigger man, first by refusing the order in Hockenheim, second by leaving the team on the spot. Predictably he blew both chances, now he's got no right to complain at all.

Exactly....