Massa: Our car is now very competitive

Yesterday afternoon, over a thousand people took part in an on-line chat with Felipe Massa on the ferrari.com internet site. The Brazilian is currently in Maranello preparing for the German Grand Prix which takes place in just over one week at the Nurburgring circuit. He faced a barrage of questions linked to his work, from what it felt like to drive the 150º Italia, to his personal life along with many other questions from his supporters.

On the subject of the severity of penalties imposed by the race stewards, Felipe explained that the current use of former drivers as stewards means that they are well placed to adapt their decisions to suit all situations. “Only those who have experienced first hand what can happen on track are best placed to establish the legality or otherwise of various on track moves.”

Looking back at a great duel he had with Robert Kubica, Massa said he was keen to see the Pole again. “I miss Robert a lot and as a driver, he is strong, a fighter and quick. It’s not nice thinking about racing without him after what happened to him. I hope he recovers as quickly as possible and comes back to the track.”

Along with many others, Asnaghimax wanted to know about the changes made to the 150º prior to Silverstone and Felipe confirmed it had indeed improved. “In the last few races our pace in the race was better than in qualifying, while in Silverstone we were quick in both situations. In qualifying, I finished third in Q1 with the hard tyres and that shows that the car is very competitive. I am sure this improvement will stand us in good stead for the second half of the season.”

Wolverine 80 asked what if felt like going back to Budapest last year and driving again through the place where he had the accident in 2009. “Even if it was an important event in my life, definitely a very difficult moment which I was lucky to survive and be here today, when I get in the car I think of nothing but racing and being quickest. Anything concerning the family or any problem disappears when the visor comes down on the helmet and only resurfaces when I am back in the paddock. Nothing must affect you when concentrating on what you are doing. What affected me most last year, was to meet again with the doctors who operated on me and the track marshals who got me out of the car. Today I am here thanks to them and meeting them again was very emotional.”

As for his son Felipinho’s future, Massa admitted he would prefer to see him become a great football player. “As his father, I would never push him into racing, even if he already seems well predisposed to speed: he is nineteen months old and already is very quick in his pedal car! But he is really good at kicking a football and honestly, I would prefer his future to lie in football.”

Ciccio Ferrari and many others asked if Massa felt it was possible to make up the gap in the championship and he replied that until it was mathematically impossible, he would still believe in their chances. “My experience in 2008 and Kimi’s in 2007 shows that anything can happen. Even if this year will be difficult, because Vettel would have to make a lot of mistakes.”