Massa - Last Season in F1?
Discussion
thatguy11 said:
Bottas may be outperforming him on track but it's at the factory where Massa's value and experience is really being felt, helping to develop the car and drive the team forward. I'm expecting them to be even stronger next year.
Massa has had a fair bit of bad luck. The Hockenheim retirement was his fault, but he was blameless in his Australia, Canada and Silverstone retirements. Plus he's still got fantastic pace on his day, he's been very solid in qualifying, not to mention grabbing the only non-Merc pole so far this year.
This is exactly the view I've never understood about him.Massa has had a fair bit of bad luck. The Hockenheim retirement was his fault, but he was blameless in his Australia, Canada and Silverstone retirements. Plus he's still got fantastic pace on his day, he's been very solid in qualifying, not to mention grabbing the only non-Merc pole so far this year.
I don't buy the bad luck tag. If you go back through his career retirements those that people believe were bad luck usually have some sort of incident completely under Massa's control preceding it. ie. out of place on grid due to under performing in quali, off track incident just before component failure etc. Granted though I'd be hard pressed to make him responsible for Rubens shock.
Equally fantastic pace on his day. This is the Massa trait that gets me the most. When pushed, when seemingly he's absolutely at the last chance saloon he pulls out some pace only for it to disappear as quick as it arrived. Usually around contract time.
thatguy11 said:
Bottas may be outperforming him on track but it's at the factory where Massa's value and experience is really being felt, helping to develop the car and drive the team forward. I'm expecting them to be even stronger next year.
Massa has had a fair bit of bad luck. The Hockenheim retirement was his fault, but he was blameless in his Australia, Canada and Silverstone retirements. Plus he's still got fantastic pace on his day, he's been very solid in qualifying, not to mention grabbing the only non-Merc pole so far this year.
What evidence is there that Massa is or has ever been good at developing a car? He has had nothing to do with this year's Williams and there was never any sign of this ability at Ferrari.Massa has had a fair bit of bad luck. The Hockenheim retirement was his fault, but he was blameless in his Australia, Canada and Silverstone retirements. Plus he's still got fantastic pace on his day, he's been very solid in qualifying, not to mention grabbing the only non-Merc pole so far this year.
He has had some bad luck this year but over many years that evens out and he does have a record of collision second to none that I am aware of.
I've asked before, has he ever had a really special drive from lower back on the grid? There was a time when he could win from the front row in the best car, but I honestly can't recall him ever fighting through the pack. I can recall him trying but it usually ended up with him throwing it off the track or at someone else.
Fantastic pace on the day? I think that day is long gone.
Don't forget the race when he kept breaking the suspension on the front wheels by hitting the sausage part of the kerbs endlessly and couldn't seem to change his line...
There was a race at Silverstone where he carved through the pack, but I agree with the above, when given a kick up the a##e he gets it on and drives quickly, otherwise seems to settle into a slightly slower pace.
It's a shame as I quite like Massa, and he'd be viewed in an entirely different light had he won that WDC
There was a race at Silverstone where he carved through the pack, but I agree with the above, when given a kick up the a##e he gets it on and drives quickly, otherwise seems to settle into a slightly slower pace.
It's a shame as I quite like Massa, and he'd be viewed in an entirely different light had he won that WDC
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