Ferrari driver Felipe Massa was under heavy scrutiny after he failed to score points in the first two races of the season. His scoreless results were rooted to driver errors.
The most notable mistake was when he spun out of contention in the Malaysian GP after clipping a kerb a little too hard. Massa was running second behind his teammate (and reigning champion Kimi Raikkonen) at that time.
Both Ferraris were way ahead of their rivals and were therefore under no threat or pressure whatsoever. That was why it was hard to fathom how Massa could make a mistake and squander eight valuable points.
Many critics began questioning the Brazilian's talent and focus claiming that Massa was only good with driver aids. Now that electronic traction control was banned, critics suggested that Ferrari's number two driver would find it difficult to collect valuable constructors' points.
Hence, the speculation that Ferrari was already looking for possible replacements for 2009 started spreading. The main candidate was no less than former two-time champion Fernando Alonso. It was deemed that Alonso would once again quit Renault by the end of the year due to the French team's lack of competitive pace. If so, Ferrari would gladly grab Alonso ditching Massa in the process.
Such scenario would give Ferrari an unprecedented line up of two world champion caliber drivers.
When asked about the rumors, Massa merely stressed that his new contract secured him of a race seat in the Italian team until 2010. For the Brazilian, the rumors were nothing more than rumors for the sake of publicity.
In addition, Ferrari President Luca Di Montezemolo reiterated that he had no intentions of dishonoring Massa's contract despite the Brazilian's recent slump.
Both statements however did absolutely nothing to stop the rumors. Critics always argue that a Formula 1 driver's only security is his ability to produce results. And according to critics, Massa, with the new ban on electronic traction control, was incapable of producing championship caliber results.
Or so they thought. After a dominating victory in the Bahrain GP, Felipe Massa surely proved that he was not dependent on driver aids. In addition, Massa demonstrated stunning pace in all practice sessions, and all qualifying sessions in the days leading up to the Grand Prix. Only the short-fueled BMW-Sauber of Robert Kubica prevented Massa from securing pole position. But that didn't matter because Massa stormed to take the lead as soon as the red lights went off.
From that point onwards, the Brazilian dictated the race pace, pushing hard when he had to and backing off to preserve his engine. Massa's performance was blisteringly quick and well calculated as he led the team's first 1-2 finish of the season. It was, by all means, a performance that suited the Championhip winning Ferrari.
Why did he produce such a result just now?
According to Massa, everyone has their 'bad days'. In his case, he said he had two. But those two days were nothing more than 'bad days'. Never once did the Brazilian doubt his talent.
After a strong and almost faultless performance at the Bahrain GP, it is wise to take Massa's word for it.
The most notable mistake was when he spun out of contention in the Malaysian GP after clipping a kerb a little too hard. Massa was running second behind his teammate (and reigning champion Kimi Raikkonen) at that time.
Both Ferraris were way ahead of their rivals and were therefore under no threat or pressure whatsoever. That was why it was hard to fathom how Massa could make a mistake and squander eight valuable points.
Many critics began questioning the Brazilian's talent and focus claiming that Massa was only good with driver aids. Now that electronic traction control was banned, critics suggested that Ferrari's number two driver would find it difficult to collect valuable constructors' points.
Hence, the speculation that Ferrari was already looking for possible replacements for 2009 started spreading. The main candidate was no less than former two-time champion Fernando Alonso. It was deemed that Alonso would once again quit Renault by the end of the year due to the French team's lack of competitive pace. If so, Ferrari would gladly grab Alonso ditching Massa in the process.
Such scenario would give Ferrari an unprecedented line up of two world champion caliber drivers.
When asked about the rumors, Massa merely stressed that his new contract secured him of a race seat in the Italian team until 2010. For the Brazilian, the rumors were nothing more than rumors for the sake of publicity.
In addition, Ferrari President Luca Di Montezemolo reiterated that he had no intentions of dishonoring Massa's contract despite the Brazilian's recent slump.
Both statements however did absolutely nothing to stop the rumors. Critics always argue that a Formula 1 driver's only security is his ability to produce results. And according to critics, Massa, with the new ban on electronic traction control, was incapable of producing championship caliber results.
Or so they thought. After a dominating victory in the Bahrain GP, Felipe Massa surely proved that he was not dependent on driver aids. In addition, Massa demonstrated stunning pace in all practice sessions, and all qualifying sessions in the days leading up to the Grand Prix. Only the short-fueled BMW-Sauber of Robert Kubica prevented Massa from securing pole position. But that didn't matter because Massa stormed to take the lead as soon as the red lights went off.
From that point onwards, the Brazilian dictated the race pace, pushing hard when he had to and backing off to preserve his engine. Massa's performance was blisteringly quick and well calculated as he led the team's first 1-2 finish of the season. It was, by all means, a performance that suited the Championhip winning Ferrari.
Why did he produce such a result just now?
According to Massa, everyone has their 'bad days'. In his case, he said he had two. But those two days were nothing more than 'bad days'. Never once did the Brazilian doubt his talent.
After a strong and almost faultless performance at the Bahrain GP, it is wise to take Massa's word for it.
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