“Before deciding the first driver, the car needs to be improved”: Felipe Massa on Ferrari’s internal struggle between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz
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Felipe Massa
After the thrilling display of their fiery competition in the Austrian Grand Prix, it is safe to say that the two Ferrari racers–Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are currently at each other’s throats as both of them want their fair share of opportunities to win the 2022 F1 World Championship title. While Charles Leclerc started the season with a couple of race wins and was touted as the initial favorite for winning the Championship, Carlos Sainz has improved a lot and is now challenging the Monegasque with all his might.
In Spielberg, there came a time when both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc asked for team orders to see which one of them should go chase Verstappen as both believed their car had more pace than the other. In situations like these, many F1 fans thoughts Ferrari should pinpoint on a first driver and a second driver so that their World Championship campaign becomes more focused, but according to former F1 racer Felipe Massa, such demarcations within the team is “not important right now”.
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Felipe Massa gives his take on whether Ferrari should select Charles Leclerc as their “first driver”
As a Ferrari racer who has had years of experience driving for the Scuderia, Felipe Massa knows that what the Maranello outfit needs right now, in order to solidify their position at the top of the Championship table, is more speed. The Brazilian said that demarcating between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, to select a first or second driver at Ferrari is of no importance at the moment. He believe Ferrari need to improve their F1-75 first, above all else.
In Felipe Massa’s words, ”That is not important right now. Ferrari’s biggest problem at the moment is reliability. Before you decide who is the first driver, the car needs to be improved. The next race Carlos can drop out and the next race he can win again. It is difficult to establish a hierarchy in those circumstances.”
Felipe Massa has had a long career as a Ferrari racer between 2006 and 2013, and he knows from firsthand experience, how crucial it is to keep the internal struggle at bay at Ferrari. During his tenure, he was kept as the second driver after Michael Schumacher, and then, after Fernando Alonso.
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