If you have only watched Formula One for the past four years, it may be hard to comprehend that Felipe Massa once came within 30 seconds of winning the world championship.
If Lewis Hamilton had not overtaken Timo Glock at the final corner of the Brazilian Grand Prix to finish in fifth place, it would have been Massa, winner of the race, who would have been the 2008 drivers’ champion and not Hamilton.
Between 2007/08, nobody won more races than did Massa, who had nine victories and proved devastatingly quick in his Ferrari.
Mechanical woes wrecked his championship hopes in 2007, when teammate Kimi Raikkonen went on to take the title, but in 2008, he out-drove the Finn for much of the season as he became Ferrari’s effective No 1 driver.
Taking away mistakes committed in the first two races, which left him on zero points, Massa was perfect in the remaining 16 races of 2008, but more car unreliability and a fuel rig malfunction in Singapore cost him dear.
Six years on, he is fighting to remain on the grid for next season. Ferrari have chosen to dispense with his services, ironically hiring Raikkonen to return to the team, after next month’s Brazilian Grand Prix.
What happened?
In hindsight, three issues appear to be at the root of Massa’s decline.
The first one is admittedly subjective. It is hard to judge how much Massa was affected mentally and emotionally by the serious head injuries he suffered when he was struck in the helmet by flying debris that had fallen from Rubens Barrichello’s car in Hungary in 2009.
His physical recovery is clear. Only the fit and healthy can dream of getting in a F1 car, and Massa’s health has not been an issue since he returned to racing in 2010.
Yet, the results have not measured up to his standards set before the accident. He has not won a race or pole position since, and only eight times has finished on the podium.
The second explanation is that Ferrari have failed to provide a consistent, race-winning car, which means Massa has not had equipment of the quality he had before 2009.
But the third possibility is far simpler to explain – the emergence of Fernando Alonso, his teammate since 2010.
The Spaniard’s speed and ruthless nature to do whatever is necessary to be the best has essentially made Massa a bit player in the team at age 32.
Sure, it is important to acknowledge before going further that Alonso has been the quicker man alongside Massa.
Ferrari has not been a match for the all-conquering Red Bull Racing in the past four seasons, but Alonso has nonetheless managed to win 11 times, and almost won the world title twice.
The statistics do not lie. In their 73 races together, ahead of the Indian Grand Prix tomorrow, Alonso has scored 994 points to Massa’s 474.
The low point for Massa came at Germany in 2010. Having led from the start, Massa was told by his race engineer Rob Smedley over the team radio: “Fernando is faster than you. Can you confirm that you understood that message?”
The coded phrase led to Massa deliberately slowing to allow his teammate to pass him.
In the aftermath of the events at Hockenheim, Massa denied he had become Alonso’s lackey. He said: “The time I say I am a No 2 driver, I will not race anymore.”
Ferrari, in fairness, have rarely had to tell Massa to slow down for his teammate – Alonso usually has better track position anyway.
Despite Ferrari becoming Alonso’s team, Massa has handled it with dignity, rarely speaking out and keeping a smile on his face, most of the time.
Massa and Alonso get along, despite everything. In the aftermath of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2010, where Alonso missed out on the title, Massa found the Spaniard and gave him an affectionate pat on the shoulder, not the act of someone who felt he had been shunted aside.
His days with the team limited, Massa has finally stood up to Ferrari’s orders. He ran ahead of Alonso in Japan two weeks ago, when Smedley told him on the radio: “Multi-function strategy A, now, please.”
In other words, stand down and let Alonso sail past. But, unlike in Germany, Massa stood his ground and held up Alonso for a number of laps before the Spaniard eventually passed him at Suzuka.
It was a superficial act of defiance in the grand scheme of things, but it was pleasing to see some attitude from Massa.
There is no disgrace in being outpaced by Alonso in the same car, given the double world champion’s strong reputation.
But given the way Massa had seemed too accepting of his circumstances, shaking off the passivity should be selling point for any future employers.
What Massa needs is a strong end to the season. He is in talks with Williams, and while it may be financial factors that decide whether he drives for either team, he must first demonstrate that the post-2009 Massa still deserves a place in F1.
Massa’s accomplishments and experience scream for him to be given a chance to show what he can do outside of Alonso’s shadow. Whether he gets it is another thing altogether.
gcaygill@thenational.ae
