Montezemolo not ready for 2014 Massa talks

[Rob]

Im posting this news up, just as news. If this turns to be all out bashing abut Felipe and people bashing other members as being Felipe fans, it will be closed and maybe infractions or warning handed out if comments cross the line as insulting or swearing.

MONTEZEMOLO NOT READY FOR 2014 MASSA TALKS
Thursday 11 July at 08:35 : Jul.11 (GMM) Luca di Montezemolo on Wednesday said he is not ready to talk about Felipe Massa's future at Ferrari.

The Brazilian has been involved in a string of on-track incidents dating back every race since Monaco, amid speculation the Italian team might finally choose another teammate for Fernando Alonso next season.

"Yes, these are critical moments," team boss Stefano Domenicali said after Massa's spin into retirement at the Nurburgring, "and of course we are not happy with the results.

"But we have to support Felipe, because the team is fighting for the constructors' championship."

Notwithstanding Domenicali's comments, 32-year-old Massa said he has "no idea" if his recent incidents had jeopardised his future.

And Ferrari president Montezemolo said on Wednesday: "(Massa's) Future? We will talk about that further down the line as there's no hurry."

Drivers including Nico Hulkenberg and Jules Bianchi have been linked with Massa's 2014 seat.

Massa was at Ferrari's Maranello factory to work in the simulator and meet with Montezemolo on Wednesday.

Montezemolo said: "Felipe is fully aware he can count on our total confidence in him.

"I hope he will soon secure the results that will show his talent to the full, such as the great starts he pulled off at the last two grands prix."

Former F1 engineer Gary Anderson, however, said Massa's recent mistakes have come at "the most inconvenient time" for the Brazilian, whose contract expires soon.

"The mistake at the Nurburgring is not one a driver of his calibre should be making," Anderson told Speed Week.

"Maybe it's time for Ferrari to get another driver who scores more regularly.

"Nico Hulkenberg is an obvious choice, but personally I would get Jules Bianchi. He is less likely to trouble Fernando's position as top dog," he added.

http://www.onestopstrategy.com/daily...ssa+talks.html

[NanoTheQuickest]

Fair enough and I agree with the last quote but on the other hand it would not surprise me to see Jules trouble Fernando, he shows great speed and intelligence.

[REDARMYSOJA]

True, though I doubt a youngster like Bianchi will be much trouble for Alonso. I know Hamilton gave Alonso a bit of trouble at McLaren, but I fully believe Alonso has gotten better since then.

[Jose Lorca]

And Ferrari president Montezemolo said on Wednesday: "(Massa's) Future? We will talk about that further down the line as there's no hurry."

So not enough confidence in Massa yet. I would expect him to be re-signed eventually - he has the speed, so results will come.

[shamim179]

Bianchi would be a risk. He is not experienced enough. Hulkenberg has shown what he can do in different cars against different team mates. He can learn a lot from Alonso and lead the team at some stage. Natural progression would be to take Bianchi if he's still doing well after he has moved to another team. This is a clear reaction from the part of Ferrari since the news of lotus taking interest in hulkenberg has surfaced. He shouldn't be far off from Alonso's performance if you give him an above average car.

[impactX]

Read the first post and thought someone bumped a thread from last year...

Anyway, it's only half a season so no hurry.

[impactX]

I think the better way for Ferrari to handle the situation is to actually sign multiple years of contract with Massa but the contract would be under review each year and Massa has to get at least half the points Alonso scored up to a certain point in the season to guarantee a seat next year (with consideration of the scores lost to Alonso due to team order). Failing that, it's up to SF's management discretion to continue Massa's contract. That way, it can drive Massa to perform without him worrying about whether his contract will be renewed for the next year.

If you take a look at Webber's score from last year, it's over half of what Vettel got. On the other hand, you can look at the Kimi and Grosjean and realise Grosjean's performance was not up to par.

[Katu]

I think the better way for Ferrari to handle the situation is to actually sign multiple years of contract with Massa but the contract would be under review each year and Massa has to get at least half the points Alonso scored up to a certain point in the season to guarantee a seat next year (with consideration of the scores lost to Alonso due to team order). Failing that, it's up to SF's management discretion to continue Massa's contract. That way, it can drive Massa to perform without him worrying about whether his contract will be renewed for the next year.

If you take a look at Webber's score from last year, it's over half of what Vettel got. On the other hand, you can look at the Kimi and Grosjean and realise Grosjean's performance was not up to par.

all these year Massa hasn't scored even half of Alonso's points, so if you look at this way then Massa would have been sacked.. well long time ago.

[FFFerrari]

I think I called this all in another thread a few days ago.

- the team supports Massa in the bid for WCC this year
- they expect better from him
- a contract for next year isn't in the talk yet (like I said before, if it is announced at all it will be in Brazil)

- IF he is replaced (and it's a big if) then Hulk seems the logical choice since Bianchi is still too green for Ferrari. I doubt Hulk would pose any threat for Fernando as he would be put firmly in the #2 seat.

[Stormsearcher]

One more Massa' imminent replacement thread in the making. Poor guy. I hope he doesnt read all this. It is clear he drives with passion. True, he is having a lean period wrt points, but it can happen to anyone.

But shud it happen, has anyone ever considered that Massa might be lapped up by RBR? They clearly dont want to upset finger boy, so i cant really see Kimi going there cause he is likely to be more than a match for FB. (for the same reason why Lewis wasnt welcome there). Massa is fast enuf to keep vettel honest, without upsetting the apple cart. They would love to have him replace webber IMO.

I do wish he is retained though. Once/if he gets over this bad period, he is a great driver.

[ntukza]

One more Massa' imminent replacement thread in the making. Poor guy. I hope he doesnt read all this. It is clear he drives with passion. True, he is having a lean period wrt points, but it can happen to anyone.

But shud it happen, has anyone ever considered that Massa might be lapped up by RBR? They clearly dont want to upset finger boy, so i cant really see Kimi going there cause he is likely to be more than a match for FB. (for the same reason why Lewis wasnt welcome there). Massa is fast enuf to keep vettel honest, without upsetting the apple cart. They would love to have him replace webber IMO.

I do wish he is retained though. Once/if he gets over this bad period, he is a great driver.

Massa in a RB vs Hulk in a FERRARI. Which would you back for better performance? Massa, Hulk or similar?

Or maybe the more relevant question is Massa in Ferrari vs Hulk in Ferrari regardless of what Massa would do at RB.

[eugene22n]

I'll be pulling for Massa to get back in his groove until the fat lady sings.

If Massa does go it may be the end of his F1 career. Pay drivers are really taking over F1 in the midfield and down.

Ferrari will always have great drivers.

[aroutis]

No real surprise there,is there? LCDM is taking his time and expects results although I wouldn't be surprised if his patience reaches an end this Year should Felipe fail to deliver what is expected off him.

Time will tell.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

[zakfourie]

How long will they take and how much will he cost Ferrari..........

[Tony]

Am I the only one that doesn't agree with the selection process here in the event that this unfolds? Ferrari shouldn't be looking to hire someone that doesn't cause problems for Alonso, they should be looking to hire someone that helps Ferrari win a WCC....

[Hornet]

Am I the only one that doesn't agree with the selection process here in the event that this unfolds? Ferrari shouldn't be looking to hire someone that doesn't cause problems for Alonso, they should be looking to hire someone that helps Ferrari win a WCC....

I believe the top teams are all geared towards WDC, and the best approach is to have a top driver to lead the WDC push while the 2nd seat would be a good driver capable of achieving results, but willing to support the team.

We've seen in the past when you have 2 extremely competitive driver in the same team, it's more destructive than beneficial. At most you can have 1 super competitive driver, not 2. Massa is fast, but he doesn't have the same raging competitiveness like Vettel does that drove him to ignore team orders just to win at all cost. Red Bull is lucky that Webber is not that driver that's constantly up there fighting with Vettel, so Sepang was a one-off. If Sepang was a norm, Red Bull would be in trouble.

IMO, the drivers know this too so it goes both ways. Vettel will never come to Ferrari as long as Alonso is here, he knows he's better off at Red Bull gaining full support of the team. If Lotus can prove their competitiveness, then I doubt Kimi is going anywhere too for the same reason.

[Nurav]

Am I the only one that doesn't agree with the selection process here in the event that this unfolds? Ferrari shouldn't be looking to hire someone that doesn't cause problems for Alonso, they should be looking to hire someone that helps Ferrari win a WCC....

I agree.
Rather, the 2nd driver should be such that can push Alonso. This may lead to Alonso push even further (although he gives his maximum!)
I really like massa,but i seriously doubt we will win WCC with massa and such a car.(It aint a RB).



btw any news of drivers in YDT ?

[Ferrarichamp]

Since Ferrari have already kept Massa so long I don't see why they'd suddenly want to replace him. Personally I'd like to see him go but I think Ferrari will keep him a couple more years.

[eddie]

For now, I very much see Massa > Bianchi.

Alonso is a very aggressive driver, not many can really pair up with him and have a balanced one team eco system.

He is also very much self motivated and wouldnt need a team mate to push him to deliver.

[Katu]

what speaks for Bianchi, is that he already knows the team, team knows him. however i think it's early to talk about replacing Massa, let's see how things go in next few races

[FA fan]

One more Massa' imminent replacement thread in the making. Poor guy. I hope he doesnt read all this. It is clear he drives with passion. True, he is having a lean period wrt points, but it can happen to anyone.

But shud it happen, has anyone ever considered that Massa might be lapped up by RBR? They clearly dont want to upset finger boy, so i cant really see Kimi going there cause he is likely to be more than a match for FB. (for the same reason why Lewis wasnt welcome there). Massa is fast enuf to keep vettel honest, without upsetting the apple cart. They would love to have him replace webber IMO.

I do wish he is retained though. Once/if he gets over this bad period, he is a great driver.

Well I remember Horner clearly saying last year,if he was in charge he wouldn't have renewed massa contract,so I don't think so.

[Tifoso]

Am I the only one that doesn't agree with the selection process here in the event that this unfolds? Ferrari shouldn't be looking to hire someone that doesn't cause problems for Alonso, they should be looking to hire someone that helps Ferrari win a WCC....

You are not the only one.

[ntukza]

I like Massa, always have. He's been racing with us for years now and we've come to know what to expect of him. At his best he can push Alonso all the way, but he's unlikely to outright beat Alonso to the title. Any potential replacement is also theoretically unlikely to do so. I think it would be a positively aggressive move for Ferrari to replacement him. Not as a vote of no confidence, nor as a judgment on his performance, but purely as a positive move towards doing something new and turning a new leaf as a team. Every so often drastic, risky decisions need to be taken, particularly when results are not too favourable. We tried that with the car last year. Trying the same with our driver line-up isn't such a bad idea. It would not be unfair on him given the high number of seasons he's had already, the bad luck that has haunted him recently, and the pressing need for Ferrari to be bold and try something new.

[Nero Horse]

Am I the only one that doesn't agree with the selection process here in the event that this unfolds? Ferrari shouldn't be looking to hire someone that doesn't cause problems for Alonso, they should be looking to hire someone that helps Ferrari win a WCC....

Well said, and no you're not the only one.

[Jas]

not sure where to put it....Marussia drivers half a second slower than Alonso claims Symonds 16 July, 2013 Fernando Alonso with Pat Symonds during their Renault days Pat Symonds has admitted a top driver such as Fernando Alonso could add more than half a second per lap to the pace of backmarker Marussia's 2013 car.

[brembo man]

Give Massa 4 more years with us. He's a #1 driver if he was at Red Bull or anywhere else. We have him signed sealed amd delivered as our #2 guy, with #1 driving ability. Kimi, Lewis, and throw in Nico R. are the only ones as good and they won't touch a #2 signing. If our car was better this year we'd see Massa scoring points big time . Just as we'd see Alonso in 1st place. We need Massa!!!

[vcs316]

Massa's manager has opened talks with Lotus and Force India

Jules Bianchi has emerged as a real contender to replace Ferrari's Felipe Massa in 2014. In the wake of Brazilian Massa's flow of crashes and spins dating back the Monaco grand prix almost two months ago, bosses Luca di Montezemolo and Stefano Domenicali have publicly backed the beleaguered 32-year-old.

But at the very same time, reports are gathering steam that the cream of Ferrari's driver development 'academy' - Frenchman Bianchi - is in the running to take Massa's place alongside Fernando Alonso next year. Alluding to the opportunity, the current Marussia driver told Ferrari's official website on Saturday: "Yes, it's always there and there's no point talking about it. Everyone can imagine exactly what it is!" the 23-year-old added.

Undoubtedly, Bianchi is referring to the dream of a Ferrari race seat, and even the famous Italian team's 'academy' chief Luca Baldisserri admitted 2013 is about Bianchi staking his claim in F1. "It was very important for Jules to have finally reached the highest level of motor sport," he said. "This is a key year for him. He has to gain experience and grow as a driver in what is a very competitive environment, learning to manage stress and always stay focused."

Livio Oricchio, the correspondent for Brazil's O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper, said the most influential Italian publications - La Gazzetta dello Sport and Autosprint - have put on record their desire for a driver change at Ferrari. Oricchio said it is therefore "likely" Massa's manager Nicolas Todt has opened talks with teams like Lotus and Force India about 2014. (GMM)

http://www.f1today.net/en/news/massa...d-force-india?

[shamim179]

I thought Massa was unwilling to race for lesser teams? Looks like it well could be a reality for Massa unless he starts winning a few races in a row. Once again Bianchi is being mentioned here. I've got some small doubts about Hulkenberg as he might be too strong a driver to be a number 2.

[Tifoso]

I thought Massa was unwilling to race for lesser teams? Looks like it well could be a reality for Massa unless he starts winning a few races in a row. Once again Bianchi is being mentioned here. I've got some small doubts about Hulkenberg as he might be too strong a driver to be a number 2.

"Winning a few races in a row"? Why would Ferrari expect the #2 driver to do that, when the #1 driver is not doing so?

[Jas]

Its just rumours in the down period...as usual, nobody knows! And no way would massas manager disclose such info!