There are less than four weeks until the start of the 2023 Formula 1 season, with the Bahrain Grand Prix which will mark the beginning of the new campaign and predictions regarding who will come out on top in the new championship, with a duel expected to take place between Scuderia Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes.
One key aspect in the battle for the new championship’s drivers’ and constructors’ title will be whether new Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur will be able to fix the issues seen in 2022 and deliver victories early on in the season, following the difficulties encountered last year.
Ex-Tifosi favourite Felipe Massa is confident of a new-look Ferrari with the French manager at the top of the F1 Racing Division and was full of praise for the new team principal.
“Everyone who has worked with him speaks well of him, he has had so much success in motorsport and has great experience in team management,” Felipe Massa explained “But being in charge of Ferrari is completely different, in that sense it is a big change for Fred as well.” – the former Formula One driver added.
Felipe Massa himself has experience of battling for a title with the Maranello team, so he is clearly aware of the huge pressure and the difficulty when looking for F1 glory with the most successful team in F1 history. The Brazilian believed he had won the 2008 Formula 1 title in front of his home fans at the Interlagos circuit in the final round of the year after taking a dominant win only for McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton to pass Timo Glock on the final corner and therefore secure his first world title, denying Felipe Massa the crown in the process.
The 41-year-old pointed out that creating a family atmosphere in the garage can help a driver go on to do great things on track:
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“It will be important [for Fred] to build good relationships with all areas of the team and the top management,” he explained, in a recent interview for the Italian daily newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“What’s playing against him is time, because the Maranello team hasn’t won the title for so many years and there’s enormous pressure on them.” – he continued
When quizzed on whether either current Ferrari driver is able to really battle for a Formula One title, Felipe Massa answered in a clear manner:
“I really like them. Leclerc and Sainz are title contenders,” he said. “Ferrari’s problem is certainly not the drivers. Charles has shown that he knows how to win with the car up to the mark. Last year he paid the price, as did the whole team, after a start in the championship that had him leading the standings and then they lost all the advantage in a few races.”
Frederic Vasseur is a two-time GP2 champion, which means that the French manager is aware of what is needed to win, and Felipe Massa thinks that Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will work together to help maximise car performance and get the Tifosi back to where they belong.
“The collaboration with Carlos [Sainz] is positive. They push each other, in training and on the track, and this is productive for the team,” – Felipe Massa concluded.
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