Massa judges Alonso better than Schumacher

Felipe Massa spent nine years as a Ferrari driver – including one year as a test driver in 2003. The Italian team and the Brazilian have decided to end this partnership at the end of the year, giving the São Paulo native a chance to reflect on his time in Red.

In an interview for the Gazzetta dello Sport published on the Ferrari website, Massa tried to understand the reasons for such longevity; he is the driver who has spent the most years as a race driver at Ferrari after Michael Schumacher: « I have always behaved honestly and have always given my all in my work on the track, with the engineers, and at the factory. I think I have always acted very professionally. »

On the question of the best moment with the Scuderia, Massa mentioned two – his missed title in 2008 and his first victory at home: « Clearly 2008 when I was close to the world championship title, with so many victories and pole positions. But the day that will always stay with me was my first victory in Brazil [in 2006]. For a Brazilian, winning at home is like winning the championship. Remember Senna, when he won at Interlagos, he was happier than when he won the title! I learned to race at Interlagos, I grew up there: winning in a Ferrari with a yellow and green suit [he wore a special suit featuring the colors of the Brazilian flag during this race, editor’s note] was the best moment of my life. »

When asked who his best teammate was, the Brazilian answered without hesitation: Fernando. Massa believes the Spaniard is better than Schumacher: Schumacher was just as fast, but in terms of intelligence, Alonso is better because he manages to bring everything together perfectly.

Massa didn’t fail to also salute Sebastian Vettel, who recently clinched his fourth consecutive Formula 1 world championship title: [His titles] are 100% there thanks to him and his car. Because it’s true that he drives the fastest and most consistent car. But then, it’s he who manages to extract its potential, who secures the pole position, who puts 6 tenths or more on everyone, including his teammate! He’s a fantastic driver.

The future of Felipe Massa still doesn’t seem assured, especially in F1 because even though he has been linked with Lotus or Williams, nothing concrete seems to have been put in place for him. But the Brazilian intends to continue his career as a racing driver after his F1 adventure, which has already lasted since 2001: « I love driving, it’s a part of my life and it makes me happy. Maybe after F1, I will try my hand at other categories, like DTM or the Brazilian Stock Car Championship [touring cars, ed]. »