Confirmed: Massa goes Red

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Mr. Mika

Mr. Mika

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Autosport.com wrote:


Felipe Massa will drive for the Ferrari team in 2006, replacing Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, the team confirmed on Tuesday.

Barrichello is expected to join the BAR team.

Massa currently drives for Sauber, but he was Ferrari's test driver in 2003. The Brazilian will partner World Champion Michael Schumacher.

"I am very happy and proud to be racing with Ferrari in 2006," said Massa. "Maranello has believed in me since 2001, when I had yet to make my Formula One debut. Now, I am in my third season as a Sauber driver and I can also count on a year's experience as a Ferrari test driver, an experience which helped me to grow a great deal.

"I feel ready for this new challenge, which is the best opportunity of my career. I am aware of the responsibility it places on me and I cannot wait to be part of a team like Ferrari, alongside the best driver in the world, Michael Schumacher.

"I wish to thank Peter Sauber for having had faith in me over these past three years. I will do my very best in the final six races of the season to get the best possible results for his team."
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So it's official now. What do you think: can Massa take the heat?
 
IMO, Barrichello >> Massa

I wonder if Barrichello's just off glory-hunting or if he wasn't wanted at Ferrari any more...
 
I think he´ll do great, he´s a Felipe after all. :sly:

Thanks for confirming the news! 👍
 
FatAssBR
I think he´ll do great, he´s a Felipe after all. :sly:

Thanks for confirming the news! 👍
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I have faith in him too. I think it's very well possible that Michael is becoming his mentor in 2006 and that Felipe will be the team's first driver in 2007, when Schuey retires. Íf he retires...
 
Mr. Mika
I have faith in him too. I think it's very well possible that Michael is becoming his mentor in 2006 and that Felipe will be the team's first driver in 2007, when Schuey retires. Íf he retires...
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What?!? Schuey retire? Blasphemy. When will you people learn that he will be racing well into his eighties. ;) :lol:
 
Barrichello is expected to join the BAR team.
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anyone think thats realistic? i havent because i didnt think he would leave ferrari. now that he has though... eh...

its great for massa. hes wanted to drive a ferrari now he will.
 
What's with ferrari and brazilians?

lol. Kind of sad to see barichello go, but he'll still be around. I wonder what he'll do elsewhere.
 
i dont know if massa has got the right stuff. he's one of the mediocre drivers this season, and look at his performance at the last gp. he came in dead last being 4 laps off pace! even tiago montiero didnt do that badly.
 
he came in so bad because his car was on fire! they had to fix it and went back out only for some practice and for a possibly better qualifying spot.

i think he can do ok...

as for rubens maybe he will be like coulthard...
 
I'm guessing that Rubens didn't want to be 2nd man anymore and so he choose to leave the team but i guess Ferrari have found someone who does.
 
Personally, I've always believed Massa to be one of the biggest no ones in F1. A lot of people have faith in him and consider him a good driver, but he rarely delivers. What's his best result? Fifth? With a Ferrari engine... please. It seems he's always got the best chances and he never does anything,... always battling for 8th place.

As for Rubens going to BAR, I think it's quite good, since BAR will eventually become Honda; and like Coulthard for RBR, Barrichello will be a great addition to BAR in terms of experience and expertise. Plus, he's pretty good... would like to see him go against someone instead of just guarding his team mate's position.
 
Well then let's see what massa comes up with next season. You can't gauge his performance at ferrari based on his performance at sauber...let alone the fact that he has yet to even move there.
 
Massa is a good driver in want of a good car. Whether he's a great driver remains to be seen.

BTW, Massa kicked Schuey's butt in the ROC.
 
Diego440
Personally, I've always believed Massa to be one of the biggest no ones in F1. A lot of people have faith in him and consider him a good driver, but he rarely delivers. What's his best result? Fifth? With a Ferrari engine... please. It seems he's always got the best chances and he never does anything,... always battling for 8th place.
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You know the engine isn't a big part of the package in F1 these days. It's important, but most circuits are so tight that power alone won't get you a fast lap. Sauber has a very small budget and a fairly slow car.

Judge him compared to hsi teammates, not his finishes.

Blake
 
sure hes driving for the worst team on earth ever but he could do better. the only thing i liked was his qualifying for france driving the thing like it was a touring car. that was funny.
 
What about his 13th in Germany? Surely you don't think that was a bad performance?

How high do you think he could finish in a Minardi in an ordinary race? Do you really think the car is capable of so much more than the drivers are getting out of it?

Blake
 
A wise and sage man
A great driver can prosper if you stick him in almost any car... but if that car in question is a pig, then he's just a guy riding a pig.
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Which may be what happens to Massa if Ferrari doesn't shape up... :indiff:
 
niky
Massa is a good driver in want of a good car. Whether he's a great driver remains to be seen.

BTW, Massa kicked Schuey's butt in the ROC.
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Was this the ROC where it was an arena track that had a bridge cross over? People dont realise their was always an advantage for the person on the inside as they got a fast run down the outside striaght rather than starting there. the outside racer almost always won his heat
 
Is the outside straight really that much longer than the inside one though? I didn't think it was so much longer that it would give a real advantage.

Blake
 
[FPV]Rusty
Was this the ROC where it was an arena track that had a bridge cross over? People dont realise their was always an advantage for the person on the inside as they got a fast run down the outside striaght rather than starting there. the outside racer almost always won his heat
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they both have a run on the outside and inside, so it doesnt matter at all, ive seen the driving not on the best lane at the start win...thats the entire point of super specials, would they still do them if they thought that was the case?
 
Ferrari love Massa but I must admit I was shocked that this actually happened. Especially that they went and did it so quick. The Ferrari/Schumi/Rubens combo hasen't been working very weel since late last season. After 6 years of bending over and taking it Rubens has finally grown a set and pushed back. Is it a good move for Rubens? Ummm, doubtful. Sure he will be a #1 driver finally (that is is JB does actually leave BAR) but I don't know. I don't see him doing a DC and switching to a new younger team to up his career again.

Maybe it isn't BAR that offered Rubens the longterm contract? Maybe there is alot more in play that we don't know about...

Rossia was testing the F2005 yesterday.

hmmm?
 
niky
Which may be what happens to Massa if Ferrari doesn't shape up... :indiff:
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its not so much ferrari as it is bridgstone. i think if they were using last years tires they would be doing pretty well again.
 
that roc would have been cooler if it was on dirt. seeing ms get his wrc on would have been fun.

and wouldnt it be kinda funny if rubens went to rbr...
 
Omnis
What's with ferrari and brazilians?.
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Brazilians= Less aerodynamic drag?? :sly: ;)

I'm really happy for Barrichello... I think Massa will pull his weight, but nobody should have to play second fiddle to anyone, except Schumacher will see to it that he does...
 
Barrichello had a multi-million dollar contract with Ferrari for 2006 and had chosen to give it up. It does not take a rocket scientist to work out that the only reason for the 33-year-old Brazilian to do that is because he has a better deal somewhere else, either financially or in terms of potential or both. That deal comes from BAR Honda, which has been looking for a top name to either replace, or race alongside, Jenson Button. Honda is not a company that is going to take any risks in this respect and so what was needed was a man who knows F1 and knows how to win races. At the moment that list is still relatively short: Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso, Ralf Schumacher, Juan Pablo Montoya and to a lesser extent Giancarlo Fisichella, Jarno Trulli and Jacques Villeneuve. Strip away the names of those under contract for 2006 and you end up with no names at all, but in F1 things are negotiable if all parties are willing to talk and so Barrichello and Fisichella ended up in the frame.

The question now is what BAR will do with its second car. Takuma Sato has been flailing about a little and needs some solid results to restore the reputation that was once in the same league as Button. Honda says that having a Japanese driver is not essential but, even if they do not admit it, they like to have a local hero to show off to the folks back home. What they really want is a local hero who wins. Sato scored 34 points last year but this year has managed just one but there are signs that he will score more. Button has 19 but a couple of good results would definitely change perceptions.

The fortunate thing for Takuma is that BAR is in no rush to make a decision about the other driver. Button needs to sort out his situation and if Takuma goes on failing to score the team has plenty of other choices.
 

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