SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA // Felipe Massa proved fairy tales do happen as a driver who almost lost his life five years ago was back on pole position for the first time since 2008.
Ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, it proved to be an emotional moment for Massa, understandably so, as it was the first time his four-and-a-half-year-old son Felipinho had watched his dad take top spot on the grid.
Felipinho was born six months after Massa had his horrific crash in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2009 when he sustained a fractured skull after he was struck on the helmet by a spring that had worked loose off the car of fellow Brazilian Rubens Barrichello.
Massa required life-saving surgery and had a titanium plate inserted into his skull, and, although he returned to F1 in 2010, there has always been the feeling he has not been the same driver since.
A move from Ferrari to Williams this year has reinvigorated Massa, with the British marque showing signs of improvement of late, but failing to get the results the car’s performance deserved.
So on F1’s return to Austria after an 11-year absence, Massa took full advantage of a double dose of mistake misery from Lewis Hamilton to spearhead a Williams front-row lockout, the team’s first since the 2003 German Grand Prix.
“I’m so happy with what’s happened with us, our team. It was such a great moment,” said Massa, whose 15 previous poles were with Ferrari. “It’s been a long time since my last pole position.
“The best place to be is here in first, something I had the chance of many times throughout my career, and here I am again now. After a long time not being in this place I hope this is the start of some great possibilities to be here again. I’m so happy, very emotional, and I’m sure Williams feel similar.
“They’ve had an incredible career in the past and now they are back to the top, back in the fight.”
After Massa clambered from his car he hugged and kissed wife Raffaela and Felipinho. Then, just as he was about to turn away, he gave his son one more kiss.
“I’ve always been very close to my family,” said Massa. “When I was a kid with my father and mother, brother and sister, always together, and now with my wife and son. This is a great moment because he has never seen me in first place. This is the first time.
“It always makes a father feel nice, a good feeling, that your son is looking at you in first place. For sure he is part of my motivation, part of everything I’m doing in my career. I hope I can now have a great race with him watching, my wife, and all family as well from home.”
Massa is naturally wary of the threat from Mercedes who had claimed the previous seven poles. Hamilton, when on course to comfortably claim pole, made an error on entry to the Turn 8 right-hander and was forced to take to the run-off area.
On his second hot lap, and again fastest in the first sector, he spun on the approach to Turn 2.
The knock-on effect resulted in teammate and championship leader Nico Rosberg slowing, leaving the German third on the grid behind Massa and the second Williams of Valtteri Bottas, the highest grid slot of the Finn’s F1 career.
“We can’t forget what Mercedes have done. For the moment they are stronger,” said Massa. “If we finish right behind them it will still be an incredible job from us.”
Hamilton said he is facing a “damage-limitation” exercise in starting from ninth after failing to set a time. “They were just two not very good laps,” said Hamilton. “We’re going to be strong tomorrow, but it’s going to be very, very hard from where we are. Of course I’ll do everything I can to try and get some good points for the team.”
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