There are two ways to look at Felipe Massa's perfomance at today's German Grand Prix.
The first would along these lines...
Let's examine that and watch a few clips from this past week end after the jump.
Massa did not put up much of a fight at all and on the surface his capitulation to the sensational Hamilton-Mclaren package was the most humiliating since Jarno Trulli got passed on the last lap in last year's French GP. Why did he not at least try to get Hamilton to overwork his tires? This will certainly be fodder for those who think that Massa is fast but can only win if he is out front and without having to race anyone. Certainly he did not have to open the door so wide for Hamilton as he did.
Or you could say that in a race where Ferrari looked rather pedestrian, Massa was smart to think championship and salvaged what he could. Massa had brake problems and Hamilton was massively faster, seconds a lap. The only way he and Mclaren could lose was if they beat themselves, which they almost did.
Check out in this clip how relieved Norbet Haug is after the race and how he admits that the team had made a mistake. "Trying to make it hard for me eh?" jokes Lewis. A nice honest moment which will probably be denied later.
Kimi showed some great moves but it was almost like he was asleep for most of the race. Alonso fought hard and lost big , it was a pretty bad week end for him. Beaten by Trulli, dissed by Vettel, trashed by his team mate, making unforced errors on track, the final straw was the winners press conference when Piquet revealed Alonso had used his setup. Renault finally gets back on the podium and it's not Alonos? ouch, Fernado haters the world over hare laughing today!
Even Kubica had a bad race, great start but in the end he got nothing for his efforts.
Good race for Vettel and Heidfeld but a career making podium for Piquet. I would say his seat is saved...
Oh, I almost forgot, David Coulthard turned in on Barrichello... someone check the statistics, I think we have a record in the makings with DC this year!
When all is said and done you have to ask yourself this question - is Massa classy enough for a championship......
ReplyDeleteEvery time I come back with the same answer - no.
He's to Raikkonen what Rubens was to Schumacher.
"is Massa classy enough for a championship"
ReplyDeleteBut is Kimi classy enough - not what I have seen from the the last two race both on and off track!
Could it be Hamilton can actually develop a car? Could it be neither Massa nor Kimi can?
ReplyDeleteIt was an embarrassing day to be a Ferrari fan... again
Kimi is obviously quick but I just don't think he's motivated enough these days. Too may waisted years in a below par Mclaren ?
ReplyDeletethe real truth is that sometimes in racing there is just nothing you can do. Kimi was just never in it, when he did get a wiff of someone he was killer, like with Alonso for example. But the Ferrari could barely run at BMW levels (no offense to. BMW :)). Mclaren was just too strong.
ReplyDeleteI suspect the Woking team has gone 100% Lewis and developed the car to suit his driving. The difference between him and Heikki has increased drastically. That and the team order thing....
Um, AC, which car set the fastest race lap?
ReplyDelete-Freep
AC, trulli retired from last year's french gp. i think you mean 2004 when rubens passed him for 2nd on the last lap.
ReplyDeletere: piquet, his result confirms that deploying the safety car means a lottery. piquet won it this time. alonso's race craft let him down this weekend, but he has been overachieving in the renault as always while piquet has been underachieving to put it mildly. his seat is saved? i think that's premature. what happens when piquet stinks it up again in hungary?
i have no idea what was going on with kimi. asleep at the wheel? poor setup? it's sad to watch.
all due respect to lewis as he crushed the field again. heikki had nothing for him. neither did anyone else.
Shinronin
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's what I meant, time flies :)
Freep Heidfeld I think had fast lap and he still never did catch Massa...
Just so we see where the speed is, if not the racecraft.
ReplyDelete-Freep
No, I think that was a empty tank fluke. BMW are having some serious issues with handling they need to cure
ReplyDelete