Ultimatum in Massa, is a new driver ready?

While Fernando Alonso fights for victory and is in the lead for the world championship, Ferrari reflects on the role of Felipe Massa, always in a crisis of results and far from the points zone. The rumors speak of his possible dismissal, given that the points valid for the Constructors' World Championship are at stake.

With 17th place in qualifying and 15th place in the race in Spain, albeit the result of a penalty, the Brazilian from Cavallino shows a clear decline. Stefano Domenicali, the team principal of the Reds, illustrated the situation: “In analyzing the performances of the Scuderia and its two drivers, Fernando has always maintained a very high level (67 points and second place in 2010, 51 and fifth place last year), while the Brazilian had collected 49 points two years ago and 24 the following year. So far this season he has only won two. At Montmelò Felipe was very unlucky, both in the race and in qualifying, but everyone, him more than anyone else, expects a change of gear, starting immediately with the Monaco Grand Prix.", warned Domenicali. But if this change of gear didn't happen, what would happen?

The visit to the F1 paddock during the weekend in Barcelona by Adrian Sutil, accompanied by his manager Manfred Zimmermann, raised a lot of speculation among insiders. Sutil was the Force India driver last year, before being cut due to the criminal trial against him for injuries caused to Eric Lux, director of Genii, the company that sponsors Lotus and which held its majority capital. Lux was injured during a party after the Chinese GP in Shanghai in 2011 and Sutil was forced to answer for his actions. Now that the criminal case has been resolved with compensation for damages, Sutil could return to the Indian team and the current owner Paul di Resta, approached last week by Cavallino as a possible driver for next season, could be about to move already in the next races in Maranello. If it's not Di Resta, the rumors speak of an interest in the other Force India driver, Nico Hulkenberg: his manager, Timo Gans, has been spotted at Ferrari. “It's important to be here”, Sutil told German broadcaster RTL. “Let's hope that something moves, it's still very early in the season, so I have to be patient but on the other hand I can get back into a cockpit quite quickly", the German admitted crypticly.

When asked if he fears for his F1 career, Massa said he was calm: "No. I live in the present. What happens will happen. I'm not afraid of anything, especially criticism, it doesn't concern me.", commented the Brazilian. Yet, if there are those who defend him vigorously, like the journalist Livio Oricchio in the newspaper O'Estado de S.Paulo, even in Brazil we see a dark future for the Paulista: the journalist Celso Itibere of O'Globo, admits the situation is disastrous. “Felipe is at risk”, said Itibere, “His decline is progressive, if he fails to react he runs the real risk of not finishing the season, even if Ferrari has no one to put in his place”. What if someone came from Force India?

Lorena Bianchi