Stefano Domenicali insists that Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa will be treated equally at Ferrari
Fernando Alonso was clearly the better driver in the 2010 Formula 1 season as he finished in 2nd place just 4 points adrift of the 2010 World champion Sebastian Vettel while his teammate Felipe Massa finished in 6th place in the drivers’ standings. Felipe was unable to cope up with the 5 top running drivers in the sport and finished 70 points behind Jenson Button in 5th place.
This was an extremely disappointing performance by the Brazilian driver after returning to the sport this year. Felipe had to miss half of the 2009 Formula 1 season because of a near fatal accident at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix.
However, since team orders will be allowed in 2011, it was believed that Ferrari might support Fernando Alonso throughout the season in order to secure the drivers’ title at least but according to Stefano Domenicali, the team will not restrict Felipe Massa and treat both of its drivers equally.
“Felipe had a difficult season, but I am totally convinced that he will know how to react in just the right way, as he capable of doing. In fact, he has often been under pressure and in these situations, he has delivered in a way that surprised many people,” he said at Ferrari's Wrooom media event.
Team Ferrari has been known as the “masters of team orders” as they have used this rule more than any other Formula 1 team. Even in 2010, the team asked Felipe Massa to back out and let Fernando Alonso win at the German Grand Prix. Since team orders were not allowed in 2010, the team was given a penalty and had to go through the legal procedure for breaking this rule according to the FIA.
Stefano admitted that the incident at the German grand prix was the team’s order and it was the right decision at that time.
“It is one thing to make a decision on the spur of the moment and another to do so with hindsight, having taken stock of the situation. Having said that, I think that in Germany, the team - which means the management, the engineers and the drivers - made the best choice,” Domenicali said.
Nevertheless, Domenicaly insists that Felipe will bounce back in 2011 and he is fully confident about it. Therefore, if either of the drivers wants to win the title, they would have to earn it themselves using their driving skills.
“He (Felipe Massa) is a total professional, who has grown here with us and we can count on him: I expect him to be motivated to the maximum. We want to have two strong drivers capable of winning: that is what you need if you aspire to winning both titles,” Stefano added.
He stated that there is no “hierarchy” at the beginning of the season. This means that the team might change its mind as the season progresses.
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