Not a lot of money in salary (by F1 standards) and he is managed by Nicolas Todt.

 

And that is the mark of a champion, or at least driving at a championship level, extracting the maximum out of the car whether it is performing well or not. It is not just being quick when everything is going well. It also means not throwing away a race, and valuable points, once the outcome is clear. Kimi, Fernando, Hamilton and a few others are driving at this level. MS was a master at doing this. Massa never has.

 

I agree Larry and that is why, as a Ferrari fan, I don't see the value of Massa right now. After only 2 races, he is clearly in the supporting role to Kimi. When Massa was leading he couldn't pull away from Kimi, when Kimi was leading, he easily pulled away from Massa, so the question of who is faster is moot.

As a #2, you have to help the #1 and Sunday was his chance -- not only from a Ferrari 1-2 and to help in the constructors points, but protecting Kimi's backside in the event Kimi had a spin, long stop, mechanical problem that was slowing him down, etc. and he (Kimi) started to put in slower laps.

If Massa wants to stay at a top tier team, he really needs to reevaluate his worth to the team and accept that he is not #1 and needs to stop with the unforced errors he is constantly making. Todt will only be able to do so much before Luca steps in and makes a change.

 

Massa has always been fragile , he will have to pull up his consistency to remain on as a no 2........in watching his spin , i'm not sure if it was all him , as it could have been a diff failure/fault , Raikonen had commented on the spin , pointing out that the car had a tendency to snap spin ..... Massa is at the pointed end , he will have to respond, to stay .

 

I don't know if I would include Hamilton with your assessment since you included not throwing away a race. Hamilton threw away the entire WDC last season. He is good for sure but I need more time with him fighting from mid-pack to see if he rises to the occasion. He showed signs of weakness by not managing his tires better last weekend.

 

+1

 

Massa never did much for me, and his occasional speed I felt was actually surprising. Maybe he can uncork a hot lap now and then, but his racecraft still needs some time. I'm not sure if he's got time, I hear Alonso is hot for his seat, and I'd love to see that! Then again, who, including us, isn't hot for that seat?

 

This comment sounds a bit like someone's who first watch racing.
The real destance betweenBMW and Ferrari is more less:
2 . K. Raikkonen - Ferrari F2008 - 1:35.405 (+ 0.039 ) - 37 lap
6 . R. Kubica - BMW Sauber F1.08 - 1:35.921 (+ 0.555 ) - 39 lap

If you want to compare you should take more less similar factors !!! tires, fuel, pace and stage of the race. Race is not a Q. In latest laps Heidfeld and some others drivers had something to gain. Kimi and Robert took so gap that after some stage they were thinking rather about next race, saving car.

Regards

 

Maybe, maybe not. He is still learning after all and he was under enormous pressure in his rookie season, but he is a fighter when things are down. Time will tell if he gains the maturity to not make any more race-ending mistakes.

 

One thing is certain. The loss of TC and engine braking has had an equalizing effect on the field. Sort of like wet racing bringing new faces to the podium.

 

That is valid point. Just look at Australian GP I thought for a moment I was watching Champcar race. I believe we will see a lot of suprises this season because no TC, especially on technical circuits where you need to have good traction control in your right foot and a good sensor for wheel spin in your butt.
I don't like Alonso so much but I think he could be a suprise in Monaco. And we have to admit he drove the wheels out of that Renault in this race.
Only 10th fastest lap wow. Perhaps he overdrove that car a bit. But who am I to say that...... I'm just a sofa F1 pilot on Sunday
Personaly can't wait for F1 to come back to motherland (Europe), this over far east races get to me a little. When I was younger I could wait all night for Suzuka GP but now.... thank God for DVR