Ferrari: Massa better than Hamilton

Eurosport - Sat, 20 Dec 00:09:00 2008

Ferrari would not swap Brazilian driver Felipe Massa for McLaren's Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton, president Luca di Montezemolo has said.

FORMULA 1 Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa 2008 - 0

Hamilton, 23, who became the youngest world title-winner after he edged Massa by snatching fifth place on the final bend of November's season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix, said last week that he would never leave McLaren.

"Hamilton is a great driver, capable of coming close to the world title in his first year in Formula One and winning it in the second," Montezemolo told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "But with all respect, I wouldn't swap him for Felipe Massa.

"If Massa did not win it this year, we (the team) were to blame. It would have been normal for him to win. He didn't manage to because of our mistakes."

Montezemolo added that there would have been an exodus from F1 if proposals for a standard engine had been approved.

The plan was not included in cost-cutting measures approved last week to help the sport after the global economic crisis led to Honda's withdrawal.

"If the standard engine had gone through for all teams, at least four or five carmakers would have abandoned (F1)," he said. "I mean four or five plus Ferrari, i.e. all of them."

Reuters

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  1. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    HaHaHa!!! what a Joke, 5th in the wet in Brazil &­ had to cheat to get that HaHaHa!!!

    From DC, on Sat 20 Dec 8:27PM

  2. Ferrari boss still continues to talk rubbish, Massa­ & Raikenen cannot even drive in the wet, both­ overpaid pompus bigheaded drivers but lewis is never­ rude and can drive in the wet and WIN. Who is the­ better driver LEWIS IS

    From CHERYL, on Sat 20 Dec 6:01PM

  3. He he, what a crock, he had the best car all year, and­ still couldn't do anything with it, he cant even­ drive in the rain !! Massa couldn't drive sheep,­ muppet!

    From Steve A, on Sat 20 Dec 4:50PM

  4. I do apologise 94eldo for being off topic here­ unfortunately we have to grab touronroute wherever we­ can as he makes claims that he cannot verify. I did ask­ him to go back to the original article and talk there­ but (just checked again) he still hasn't but­ insisted on carrying it on here.

    I will now stop as­ you are quite right, this is a different topic.

    From Grey Scale, on Sat 20 Dec 4:40PM

  5. Hey touron and voodoo, how about going and having your­ little shitfest somewhere else so we can talk about the­ article?

    From DavidH, on Sat 20 Dec 4:26PM

  6. I apologise for leaving the 'g' off the end of­ Deeming in a previous message.

    From Grey Scale, on Sat 20 Dec 4:04PM

  7. Touronroute ranted "Voodoopenguin,you must be too­ clever for us please explain why the 100 millions­ fine?"

    I am not the one who keeps saying that­ they have inside knowledge so why ask me those­ questions? All I ask for is that anything you and­ others say can be verified independently, maybe­ it's my scientific mind that makes me question­ unsubstantiated rumours and always ask for verification­ which sadly you never seem to deliver.

    In the past few­ months you have been quite adamant that McLaren's­ engine would blow up, Massa would be ahead at the end­ of various races and that Massa would be world champion­ among many other predictions which have proved to be­ wrong. If you had just called them your wishes that­ would have been fine but you have to say that 'ITS­ THE TRUTH' in capital letters. Do you wonder why we­ question what you say?

    From Grey Scale, on Sat 20 Dec 4:02PM

  8. I'm not disputing you said that, feel free to­ search and you will find that is true. What we cannot­ understand is that you said "ANDY says who is­ driving and who is not and de la rosa is driving at­ melbourne" and when we asked which Andy you said­ Andy Deemin. He is the Chief Mechanic. I ask you to­ confirm that and you tell me to see a doctor in other­ words you are backtracking. We can all see what you­ wrote and now you tell me that "Voodoopenguin, i­ didn't say no such thing, you imagining again"

    From Grey Scale, on Sat 20 Dec 3:55PM

  9. Voodoopenguin,
    you must be too clever for us
    please­ explain why the 100 millions fine?
    why no­ appeal?
    @#$%.hole v ­ .
    Voodoopenguin.I know mclaren didn't steal the­ plans , they had them stolen for them, why did they get­ toyota on board, mcheats nearly blew it again, why have­ toyota appologized to some f1 teams, why cant it be­ broadcast, cheating mclaren.

    From touronroute, on Sat 20 Dec 3:53PM

  10. VOODOOPENGUIN,i dont back track, i said 8 weeks ago de­ la rosa to drive for force india.

    From touronroute, on Sat 20 Dec 3:42PM

  11. No mistake from us, what you wrote touronroute was­ quite explicit. Now you are backtracking...again.

    Tell­ me again what you wrote this time last year. Don't­ worry, I will remind you.

    Touronroute wrote in­ November 2007:

    "see where hamilton is next year,­ i will tell you nowhere,if kovalinin goes to mclaren­ wait and see the outcome"

    From Grey Scale, on Sat 20 Dec 3:02PM

  12. voodoopenguin, i must have had two much wine if i got­ it wrong, or you mistook what i meant i was answering ­ scottish c not voodoopenguin

    From touronroute, on Sat 20 Dec 2:27PM

  13. In other words you said that Andy Deeming, Chief­ Mechanic, says who does and who doesn't drive the­ cars. I asked for confirmation that is what you meant­ and I get in message 47:

    "Voodoopenguin, i­ didn't say no such thing, you imagining again, you­ should see a doctor."

    From Grey Scale, on Sat 20 Dec 1:38PM

  14. Mmmm... IMHO Felipe Massa put his own car into the wall­ at Turn 1 on Lap 1 at Melbourne, Race 1 of the 2008 F1­ season, because he made a driving error all on his own.­ How can that have been a Ferrari team mistake?

    From , on Sat 20 Dec 1:34PM

  15. We asked which Andy and you said in message­ 44:

    "MIKEQ, you havn't a clue. is that the­ only thing you know in life, is what you read, and its­ Andy Deeming,"

    From Grey Scale, on Sat 20 Dec 1:34PM

  16. Touronroute, you said in message number­ 27:

    "honda . has got its own system.ferrari own­ the minelli system which three teams are using,and for­ your notebook, ANDY says who is driving and who is not­ and de la rosa is driving at melbourne"

    From Grey Scale, on Sat 20 Dec 1:33PM

  17. VOODOOPENGUIN. I HAVE LOOKED AT EVERY BLOG, AND I DID­ NOT SAY THAT ANDY DEEMING WOULD SAY WHO DROVE THE FORCE­ INDIA CARS THAT IS NOT HIS JOB , TELL ME THE NUMBER OF­ BLOG I SAID IT, THANKS,

    From touronroute, on Sat 20 Dec 1:26PM

  18. Touronroute, could you have a look at the Ferrari/KERS­ topic of a couple of days ago and respond to my message­ there please? Sorry to others about multiposting but­ touronroute can get a bit elusive when it comes to­ answering direct questions.

    From Grey Scale, on Sat 20 Dec 1:02PM

  19. About ?

    From Mike, on Sat 20 Dec 10:25AM

  20. MIKE Q, wrong driver , wrong team.

    From touronroute, on Sat 20 Dec 10:24AM
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