Red Bull better than the rest says Felipe Massa
Red Bull are on top of both the Formula One drivers’ and constructors’ standings, and are in a league of their own according to Felipe Massa.
The Ferrari driver finished fourth at last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, nearly 20 seconds behind race winner Mark Webber.
Red Bull have been the quickest team all season, but Ferrari had the upper hand at the German Grand Prix, where Fernando Alonso secured a controversial win after team orders were used, when Massa was told to allow his teammate to pass. However, a week on from Germany, Red Bull stormed to another pole position at Hungary and the race win, being nearly a second a lap quicker than Ferrari.
“In Germany, we seemed to have the fastest car and just a few days later, Red Bull were in a different league to all the other teams,” said Massa.
“They have nearly always been fastest, apart maybe from Bahrain and then Hockenheim [Germany]. It is mainly related to the nature of the track. In Germany we qualified in much the same time and then we were quicker in the race, but in Hungary they were 1.2 seconds faster [in pole position], which suggests to me that in Hockenheim they underperformed,” added Massa.
After Ferrari were fined $100,000 for implementing team orders in Germany after ordering Massa to let Alonso through, his chances of winning this year’s world championship have diminished, with Ferrari choosing to favour Alonso in the long run.
Massa has returned to his homeland Brazil for the three-week summer break, and is glad to have a welcome rest after a hectic few weeks. “Now we have a long break, which means three weekends without racing and even though the momentum has picked up for Ferrari in the last couple of weeks, I am happy to have this pause,” he said.
“It is important for the drivers to have a rest after such a busy schedule in recent weeks and it is especially important for everyone in the team, who have worked so hard. I will be spending it at home with my family here in Brazil, relaxing and spending time with my son, which actually is almost like a full-time job,” said Massa.
Meanwhile, Alonso has been criticised by his former team Renault, with team boss Eric Boullier saying he and last year’s team management were responsible for the disastrous season in 2009, after Renault only collected 26 points and finished eighth in the constructors’ championship.
“I think there was a lack of management, a lack of guidance from the top management, a lack of clear objective,” said Boullier. Renault had to deal with the “crash-gate” scandal after they fixed the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, while they lost several key sponsors and received a suspended ban. Boullier took over from former team boss Flavio Briatore after he was given a lifetime ban from Formula One, and he also says the situation with Alonso’s future made matters worse.
“The drivers' situation... Alonso back at Renault after the McLaren situation [leaving after one year], and being signed for Ferrari... a driver is a key asset for the team and if the driver is not motivated, not pushing the team enough... because he knew he was moving on.”
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