stuttgart46

According to formula1.com:
Ferrari announced on Tuesday that they have extended their contract with Felipe Massa until the end of the 2010 season. Massa, who is currently preparing for his home Grand Prix which will be held in Sao Paulo this weekend, has been contracted to the Italian squad since 2001.

The Brazilian replaced Rubens Barrichello as a Ferrari race driver for the 2006 season, partnering Michael Schumacher in the German’s last Formula One season. To date, he has taken part in 34 Grands Prix for the team, winning five times and scoring 16 podium places.

Massa’s team mate Kimi Raikkonen joined the team this season on a three-year contract, covering 2007, 2008 and 2009.

So much for the rumors of Alonso going to Ferrari.

chris walrod

Yeah, as the driver of the Winebago..

Ray S

They may still need a test driver.......

A.Wayne

Alonso is going to Ferrari to partner Massa , i said this months ago, not to partner Kimi, who has one year left before Ferrari can option out , 09 is kim's option year.

FA offered Briatore a 1 year deal for renault , as he wants to be at ferrari in 09 , Renault upped the anti to try and closed the deal , but at last check FA still wants a 1 yr deal , we will hear for sure over the next 2 weeks .....

paradisenb

I can't image trading Kimi for Massa. Kimi is going up and Massa.....well he hasn't given any reason this year why they should keep him.

MJSpeed

Renault or Redbull...1 year deal is what he will sign.

mitch236

I have to say that I would love for FA to go to Red Bull. Then we could see how good he really is. Although, if Red gets better, then FA haters will say the car was due.

stuttgart46

I guess time will tell.
Mitch236: I think that Red Bull has already shown a dramatic increase in capability this season without the likes of FA. Even a mediocre driver like Webber has had the opportunity to score a second place finish had it not been for Vettel's daydreaming.

A.Wayne

webber is not mediocre , he did better than rosberg at williams and would be in a top drive if he had the right contacts .......

Not sure about that , both drivers are even at this stage ,,,any way you cut the numbers or look at the races ....

There are incidentials also , Massa is Todt's son client and Massa would be easier to work with than Kimi .....

Here you go :


The news on Tuesday of Felipe Massa's new Ferrari contract was met by almost universal surprise in F1 circles.

The 26-year-old Brazilian has driven relatively well and won three Grand Prix this year, but it had been strongly rumoured that Fernando Alonso was edging towards a Ferrari deal for 2009 amid high level talks with the Italian marque's President Luca di Montezemolo.

"Everyone here is astonished," Jayme Brito, a producer with Brazil's national TV Globo network, was quoted as responding to the news by the Independent newspaper.

He added: "It is not the proper time for such a thing, and there is a strong suspicion that it may be a smokescreen for other things."

One such theory is that there may be more than meets the eye to Tuesday's 81-word Ferrari press release.

For example, while the team announced that Massa's agreement has been extended through to the end of 2010, it was not specifically made clear that his role must always be as a race driver.

The second sentence of the statement begins with the information that 'Felipe has been contracted to the Scuderia since 2001', but Massa only made his Grand Prix debut in 2002 - for the Ferrari-powered team Sauber.

He was then Ferrari's test driver in 2003, before returning to Sauber for two more years.
Cliquez ici...
Massa only raced a Ferrari for the first time in 2006.

Much has also been made of the tense political situation at Ferrari this year, with Montezemolo supposedly pushing for Ross Brawn to succeed Jean Todt as team boss in preparation for a new era that involves Alonso in the cockpit.

Todt, on the other hand, has previously and publicly lobbied against signing Alonso, while his son Nicolas is Massa's manager.

Spanish Diario As journalist Carlos Miquel on Wednesday concurred that Massa's re-signing through to 2010 is a more than 81-word story.

"The only thing that is for sure is that Raikkonen is now in a weaker position with regards to the possible arrival of Alonso in 2009," he wrote.

Raikkonen's current contract runs until the end of the 2009 season, with Massa's new deal expiring a year later. Massa's previous deal for 2007 and 2008 was announced at Monza last year.

Larry Herman

Oh boy, does this mean that we agree once again?

multi21

Montezelomo wanted and got Kimi to Ferrari. Todt wanted and has Massa. The 2008 driver line up is set at Ferrari. IIRC, there is an option for 2009 on Kimi's contract. If Alonso impresses in a Renault or Red Bull car in 2008, maybe Monti gets Fernando as his #1 with Massa playing the role of the token Brazilian #2 driver with Kimi out for 2009. Alonso will not go to Ferrari unless he is the clear #1 and with Kimi there, he will not be #1. Massa is not WC material and is quite lucky to have a job at Ferrari and will do what he is told.

If Kimi ends up winning the WC in 2008, it would be doubtful that Alonso would move to F because it would be impossible to dislodge Kimi. Unless Alonso agrees to drive next to Kimi with Massa as a test driver or loaned out to another Ferrari engined team. My head is spinning with all the possibilities.

I seriously doubt Alonso would agree to drive next to Kimi (assuming Kimi wins in 2008). If he got beat by a rookie with the same equipment, Kimi would only expose him even more of a fraudulent WC with the same equipment.

OMG, Alonso's prima donna attitude along with Ferrari's politicing would make this season's soap opera look like child's play.

A.Wayne

Yeah he is as scared as schumacher was when he got fired , for not wanting to drive with KR...

LOl, haaaa, Prima donna attitude , yeah i can hear it now
Todt :

KImi! Kimi !move over , , KImi ! Kimi ! i said move over the WDC wants to pass!

KR: Schheech. blip boop. Thisiskimi, BURP ! I'msorry i nuhmoveoverthisisnotbarrichelloandtheSchumachershow, Bleeep overandout...



Let me spell it out for you LH IS FASTER THAN KIMI, GOT IT, There will be no WDC for kimi this year or next and yes Kimi's contract is for 3 yes with the third year being the option year , he can stay or leave ..
Have to add, if LH is faster than FA, who over 2 yrs beat the kabozzle out of both KR and MS, who got fired and was eventually replaced by KR , who got spanked by FA , well you get the point......

Larry Herman

That's sweet of you to say, but I'm really not.

multi21

Touchy, touchy. I think the pressure is getting to you ol' boy. That or being the official FA food taster isn't agreeing with you. No matter, having Alonso watch someone else lift the cup will suffice for me. I want to hear her scream bloody murder when he is finally released from McLaren and tell "all the dirty lies". He should write for Harlaquin romance novels. Ahhhhh, I love seeing you like this Wayne. Makes looking forward to the off season that much more sweet when Alonso is a midfield runner and bitching at someone about not torquing his lug nuts or polishing his helmet

I'm calling Larry Herman for WC in 2008!!

A.Wayne

Hey, nice shirt Michael, did you get it from Stinky Pete