Former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa is saddened by the decline of the great Formula 1 team this season but believes that ousting Sebastian Vettel and bringing in Carlos Sainz was the right thing to do.
The Reds are enduring one of their worsts run in a long, illustrious history at the pinnacle of the sport. They are sixth in the championship and could drop further back, with an embarrassing car which has hampered their drivers and, alarmingly, there appears to be no short-term fix according to everyone in the know.
Quoted by Globo Esporte, Massa said of the current situation at Maranello, “To see such an important team suffering in this way is very sad. Nobody wants to see Ferrari having these problems.”
News that Vettel would be joining Aston Martin next year wafted through F1 ahead of Ferrari’s 1000th race during the Mugello weekend. It was also the German’s only a realistic option to remain in the sport after being deemed excess to requirements at the Scuderia.
Felipe agrees with the call made by his former employer, “Vettel’s time has passed, so much so that his results this year show that Ferrari have taken the right option not to renew his contract.
“Carlos Sainz is a good driver, young and has a lot to grow as well. Of course, they need to have a competitive car before anything and I hope, for his sake, Ferrari do.
“It is an exceptional team for whom I have great affection, and without a doubt different from the others, as if it were a religion,” added Felipe who competed in 140 Grand Prix races for the Italian team, winning 11 times for them in the process.