Ferrari driver Felipe Massa says they are unsure of strategy for upcoming Formula 1 races
Ferrari driver Felipe Massa has admitted that his team is unsure of what strategy to use in the upcoming races of the Formula 1 2011 season.
The Brazilian driver managed a sixth place finish in the recently held Chinese Grand Prix with a two-stop strategy. However, the outcome of the race revealed that three pit-stops could have produced a better result for the Italian team.
Massa stated, “Nothing is one hundred per cent clear yet and at Ferrari, we have to work out what is best for our car. It is possible that we could see very different strategies in the next few races, depending on the characteristics of the circuits.”
He further added, “In China actually my grid position, sixth, was not too bad and then I gained one place immediately after the start which moved me up to fifth. Most importantly though, if you look at the pace of the car, it was good enough to allow us
to fight with the leaders.”
Commenting on the performance of the Red Bull driver Mark Webber, the Brazilian stated that it was easy for Webber to gain a lot of positions towards the end of the race.
The Australian had a few technical problems during the qualifiers of the Chinese GP, which prevented him from reaching Q2. Although he started the race from 18th on the grid, he had a fresher set of tyres that gave him the advantage in the race
over his rivals.
Apart from that, Massa admitted that Red Bull were the fastest in the first three races of the season. This also helped Webber in gaining a number of positions in the race and eventually finishing on the podium.
Ferrari have been unable to score a single podium in the ongoing season and that has been disappointing for both drivers Massa and Fernando Alonso. The team has lacked the pace in qualifying, which has cost them a lot during the race days.
On the other hand, teams like McLaren and Mercedes have improved a lot to outpace the Italian team. Ferrari will need a significant upgrade to their car ahead at the Turkish Grand Prix in order to challenge the front-running teams of the sport.
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