quoteAlonso didn't use simulator in 2013 says Massa By Editor on Thursday, February 13, 2014
Felipe Massa claims he was the only Ferrari driver in 2013 to work in the new driver simulator at Maranello.
Dropped by Ferrari after an eight-year career wearing red, the Brazilian has moved to Williams over the winter and claims he is completely happy.
"To be honest, I feel that I needed this change, and maybe it's the same for Ferrari," said Massa, speaking to Portuguese-language publications this week in Sao Paulo.
"When time passes and the situation is the same, you end up losing motivation," he admitted.
"I'm very happy," said the 32-year-old, "especially the way I was received by Williams.
"Since the first day I arrived at the factory, everyone helped me a lot, embracing me 100 per cent and believing in my potential.
"In Williams I am being heard," Massa continued, "but that doesn't mean Ferrari didn't hear me. They listened to me very well.
"Last year I worked on the development of the car, and in the simulator I was practically the only driver, because Alonso wasn't there."
Massa, however, said Ferrari's biggest problem last year was the wind tunnel.
"Many times we saw that it didn't work as it should have," he explained. "At most grands prix we had new parts, but they didn't work on the car.
this is interesting wasn't Alonso talking about using the sim last year?
anyway I think Massa talks too much now he is saying he is so happy and he needed the change as if it was his decision to leave Ferrari.. and if only him was working on developing the car.. maybe that was the problem?
"Walk on, through the wind, Walk on, through the rain, Though your dreams be tossed and blown. Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart, And you'll never walk alone, YOU`LL NEVER WALK ALONE!!!"
LOL D... anyway, I think Massa was in simulator so much becuase he didnt know how to drive that car in different tracks. He needed help. You could hear many times his race engineer telling him how to drive the corners.
Quote: Appletree wrote in post #177LOL D... anyway, I think Massa was in simulator so much becuase he didnt know how to drive that car in different tracks. He needed help. You could hear many times his race engineer telling him how to drive the corners.
exactly! he was there to learn how to drive (after all the years...) not help with finding of those directions that needed to be improved. after reading this is anyone surprised that Ferrari went completely wrong way with the updates? seems like the only real feedback they had was on over the race weekends.
But then I thought... what about De la Rosa? Is Massa not considering him as a driver or he was hired to get salary for sitting at home? seems like Massa full of shit as usual
Nomad, you're the rider so mysterious Nomad, you're the spirit that men fear in us
one must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star - it's a satanic drug thing you wouldn't understand...
What did they do with the real Alonso? Where is he?
quoteAlonso expects fantastic years with Raikkonen By Editor on Monday, March 17, 2014
Fernando Alonso insists he is "very happy" to have a "strong opponent" to fight against at Ferrari this year.
Some believe the Spaniard cannot possibly have supported the team's decision to replace the subordinate Felipe Massa with the former Ferrari champion Kimi Raikkonen.
But Alonso insists Massa was no pushover.
"Sometimes he was even faster than Michael Schumacher when they were together," he told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.
"But my four years were fantastic with Felipe, so I expect nothing other than my coming years with Kimi to be fantastic too."
Finn Raikkonen had a poor race return with Ferrari in Australia, but Alonso tipped him to get up to speed quickly.
"He's very, very fast, perhaps the fastest of us all, or at least he is considered as such by some," he said.
"Last year, he battled for the title with a Lotus, an achievement I rate highly because I do not think Lotus are so strong," Alonso added.
"I have a very strong opponent in the team and I am very happy about that, whether you believe me or not."
He said all the recent speculation about their relationship was "understandable", given the new season and a "winter in which nothing much happens".
"This has become a routine for me, especially since I've been with Ferrari, because it was also said it would be very difficult for me with Felipe," said Alonso.
I could be wrong. But the way I see it is this: Fernando knows that with Kimi struggling with his setups, he won't be challenging him any time soon. So by praising how fast Kimi is, he's just praising his own self, because he knows he will be beating him in the begining of the season. So don't get to excited about him changing...