And so it begins. I've got to say it's earlier than even I thought it would start...

Ferrari clarifies Massa-Alonso 'Crashgate' comments
15 October 2009


The Ferrari team has moved to calm any speculation that there could already be tension between 2010 team-mates Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso after the Brazilian suggested on Wednesday that the Spaniard was fully aware of the Renault race-fixing scandal of Singapore last year.





Massa led in Marina Bay last season until a pit-stop problem during the Safety Car period following Piquet's crash
With Nelson Piquet Jr's deliberate crash having aided Alonso's drive to victory, Massa has since suggested that the incident - proposed by team chiefs Flavio Briatore and Pay Symonds to bring out the Safety Car - contributed to his loss of last year's Drivers' Championship title.

"He is the least (contributing part) of the problem," Massa explained to journalists of Alonso in São Paulo on Wednesday. "It was the team and Nelson, but Alonso was part of the problem, he knew - we do not know it (confirmed) but of course he knew, it's an absolute certainty."

With the comments having been broadcast in Brazil, Ferrari released a Wednesday evening statement regarding the matter on the team's website:




Massa finished 13th
'Felipe Massa's comments at a lunch with Brazilian journalists are causing some uproar on the internet. When asked if Alonso might have known about the details of the Singapore affair the Brazilian driver confirmed. Afterwards, level-headed, he wanted to be more specific via the Ferrari website.

"What I've said is the outcome of a hunch I've had and is not based on any concrete evidence," Felipe said. "The FIA World Council announced that there was no indication that Fernando may have been informed of what had happened and I respect this outcome.

"Obviously I'm very disappointed about what transpired last year in Singapore: I have already said several times what I thought about it and now it's time to close that chapter and to look to the future. What is certain is that this episode will not mar in any way the relationship I'll have with Fernando when we will be team-mates."

 

here we go....I hope Massa doesn't get burned because of Alonso's seemingly lack of character..

 

IMO, Ferrari will rue the day they signed Her Majesty Fernanda Alonsettte.





Professional Racing and Driving Coach

 

"Rue the day? I mean, seriously, who talks like that??"

 

Simma down theah, cupcake!






Professional Racing and Driving Coach

 

Seemingly lack of character? Seemingly?

 

2 more races and then Ferrari is dead to me....sorry Luca.

 

Spot on.






Professional Racing and Driving Coach

 

You sound like the Godfather speaking about Luca Brasi... (he's dead to me..)

I mean, really, who speaks like that anymore?

 

In Shakespeare's plays, the link between a choice and its predictable repercussions is far more direct than in life.
Ferrari's choice of the snippy little Spanish girl is already taking on the hallmarks of Shakespearean tragedy. There is more to come. The nobles at Ferrari will soon know the true depths of their dispair.

 

I will still watch F1, simply because it's F1, but will no longer support Ferrari.
Once Luca gets rid of her, then I might reconsider.

 

Yep same here. Sad thing is I still like Massa.

My new man is Vettel!

 

Yea, verily, thou art being a dicque!






Professional Racing and Driving Coach

 

^^To bring out another quote from an Oscar winning movie, "Stupid is as stupid does".


All those jumping off the Ferrari bandwagon forget one thing: It's a long shot, yes, but Massa is still on the team and I believe that the team, minus Luca Di Montezemolo are going to be behind Massa, both physically and emotionally, especially given his history with the team, his heartbreaking 1 point loss of the WDC and his accident. Ferrari more than any other team works on emotion as evidenced by the Schumacher era. Massa will have that same effect once he's back and up to speed.

I really don't think the mechanics and engineers are connected with Alonso and as we saw at McLaren, their mechanics/engineers and eventually top brass, will abandon him.

Where other teams are defined by their drivers, Ferrari is defined by their TEAM more than anything else, good or bad. Even the greatest of the great, Michael Schumacher, could not overcome this.

 

Funny, I thought of an Italian Opera instead of Shakespeare. But the end result is the same.