Ferrari expects no excuses from Felipe Massa in 2011
The Ferrari team Principal, Stefano Domenicali hopes to see a stronger and better Felipe Massa in the upcoming 2011 Formula One season. The Italian insisted that Massa must come back to the track with a renewed spirit, leaving all the bad moments of the
last season behind him.
At the start of the 2010 season many thought that the Brazilian would not be able to make to the track until the mid of the season owing to the injury he met in 2009 at the German Grand Prix. However, not only the driver was able to enter the season right
from the first race, the Brazilian Grand Prix, but also he managed to bag second position. However, the following races saw Massa’s morale crumble down, as he remained away from the limelight because of his less competitive car. After a lulled mid season,
the team came up with some modifications in its package and was seen in a far better pace at the German Grand Prix. Massa strived hard all through the race and was near a certain victory when Ferrari’s management halted him. Due to the imposed team orders
Massa had to hand over his victory to the teammate, Fernando Alonso, and for the rest of the season he kept following the front runners.
On the other hand, the two times world champ, Alonso outperformed his teammate at various occasions, soon making his way from his initial fifth place in the charts to the top of the tally. While the team management praised the Spaniard immensely all through
the year, the Brazilian star was reprimanded every now and then for his poor performances.
Now as the caravan of cars prepare to enter the 2011 season, the team’s principal asked the driver to make his return on the track a remarkable one. The Ferrari team boss explained to the media saying that it was difficult for the racer to compete at the
front lines due to his mental state after the severe accident. However, he said that the driver now has undergone thorough checkups and is perfectly fine.
In 2008, the driver was seen as one of the strongest contenders of the season and narrowly missed the first championship of his life. Although he returned strong in 2009 as well, but the life threatening accident in Germany, when he was hit by the spring
of a car on his head, caused severe head injury forcing him to leave the track for the rest of the season. Despite the driver announced time and again in 2010 that he needs time to adjust with the new Bridgestone tyres, many of the race experts and analysts
believe that it was the head injury that actually prevented him from performing well on the track.
Domenicali stated, “In part, that’s a characteristic of the area where he comes from. On the other hand, it’s also symptomatic of a bigger problem. All drivers, in order to race, must believe themselves to be the strongest. And when they don’t succeed in
being the strongest, it’s very hard to clear their heads of the kind of excuses that we all take refuge in when things go wrong.”
He concluded saying, “I think this was the cause of Felipe’s poor season, but he’ll overcome that if he works on it. That’s why I’m certain we’ll see a great Massa in 2011. He’s well aware that he can’t afford another season like the last one.”
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