Friday, July 30, 2010

Ferrari not worried Massa will leave

http://motogp-f1-races.blogspot.comFerrari team principal Stefano Domenicali is not worried that the Felipe Massa may turn his back on the outfit in the wake of the team orders controversy.

Although Rubens Barrichello famously ended his Ferrari contract one year early because he was fed up of being treated as a number of the two, Domenicali said in Hungary that he reckoned Massa would view the situation much in differently.

"No, no, I don't think so," he said when asked about the possibility of the Massa becoming disillusioned with the situation. "No, I don't think so because Felipe, as I said, we have always been very happy about Felipe.

"We were helping on the personal side, on the professional side, we are proud of him and we don't change our view. I think that the philosophy of his life is really part of our spirit and we respect that and I think that he also respects [that] too.

"At this moment, when you are surrounded by a lot of people that are pushing you, friends, real friends, friends that are not real friends, people that are saying to you something and when you turn your back they say the opposite. It's normal that you react with this kind of the energy.

"It's important that this energy has to be not negative, but it has to be the positive, positive for him, because that's part of the game, very positive for him once again, as I said, but also positive for the team, because that was also on his statement, so honestly I don't think it so."

Domenicali also reckoned that Ferrari had been unfairly criticised for its treatment of Massa in Hockenheim - especially considering the faith it had put in the Brazilian during earlier stages of his career.

"No one more than Ferrari has supported the Felipe, every time, all the time," he said. "As I said, we go back to short memories. A couple of races ago, a lot of people in this room were pushing us to say what's it all about, what is happening and we always said, no, no, Felipe's a great driver, he's a great man, for sure he wants to win it because what we want and we want to see him as part of the team because we are feeling for him.

"So no one can say Ferrari has done anything to Felipe. We always support him, we feel a lot for him. I don't want to follow this because I don't think it is correct and I don't want that the people have short memories, because that is wrong, in life and in sport."