Do Or Die
http://www.atomicsportsmedia.com/articles/800/1/Do-Or-Die/Do-Or-Die.html
Nick Dorrington
By Nick Dorrington
Published on 04/5/2007
This Formula One driver may not be a household name in America, but if he doesn\'t have a great year and stave off the challenge of two youngsters from famous racing families, he might be forgotten in his native Brazil as well. Nick Dorrington enlightens us to the trial and tribulations of Felipe Massa.
This Formula One driver may not be a household name in America, but if he doesn\'t have a great year and stave off the challenge of two youngsters from famous racing families, he might be forgotten in his native Brazil as well. Nick Dorrington enlightens us to the trial and tribulations of Felipe Massa.
Do Or Die
Outside of the main media focus, rightly centred on Kimi Raikonnen’s win on his Ferrari debut and the brilliant performance of the rookie Lewis Hamilton, the most enduring image from the Australian Grand Prix a few weeks back was a visibly disappointed Felipe Massa standing in the Ferrari garage watching qualifying unfold after his Ferrari broke down in the first session, leaving him floundering near the back of the field for the opening race of the season.
The disappointment was understandable, as Massa knows that this season is probably his best chance to win a World Championship. Now in his second season with the Ferrari team and after a strong finish to last season, he was strongly placed as one of the favourites to win the championship before the first race of the season. Having his new teammate beat him straight away was definitely not an ideal start, even though Massa did manage to claw his way back to 6th by the end of the race.
I don’t think many people would argue that Kimi Raikonnen is a superior driver to Massa, but many had thought that Massa’s experience in working with the team last year would give him an advantage over his new teammate in the early season races, allowing him to build up a gap that may allow him to challenge for the title. Although it would be unfair to dismiss his title challenge after one race, it is definitely not the start he was looking for.
Kimi Raikonnen, however, may not be the worst of Massa’s worries. Having become the first Brazilian since the late Ayrton Senna to win his home grand prix, Massa probably thought that he could count on the support of the Brazilian public for years to come. Unfortunately for him, his success has come at a time when two relatives of previous Formula One stars are well on their way to joining him in world motorsport’s prime series.
The rivalry between Ayrton Senna and Nelson Piquet for the support of the Brazilian nation in the eighties was one of the highlights of the sport, with the three-time world champion Piquet battling the young upstart Senna from Sao Paulo. It produced some brilliant battles on track and a lot of tension off it. In the end Piquet had already had his day in the limelight and by the end of the eighties Senna has taken over the mantle as Brazil’s hero; one only had to witness the droves of fans who turned out for his public funeral in 1994 to know the impact that Senna had on a large proportion of the Brazilian public.
In a couple of years the Piquet – Senna rivalry may just be the talk of Formula One once again. Piquet’s son, Nelson Jr (or Nelsinho as he appears to have been nicknamed) is already a test driver for the Renault F1 team whereas Senna’s nephew Bruno is ready to embark on his first season in GP2, Formula One’s feeder series, this year. It is likely Piquet could get a Renault drive next year if, as expected Giancarlo Fischella leaves Renault at the end of the season and the potential financial juggernaut that would be the Senna name back in Formula One is bound to fast track Bruno’s rise to the top of the sport.
But what does this all mean for Massa. Basically this season is do or die for him, both for his future on a top-running Formula One team and for the support of his nation. He really needs to out perform Raikonnen in the next few races, starting with the Malaysian Grand Prix this coming weekend and stamp his authority on the championship. There is no doubt that Piquet Jr and Bruno Senna will take away some of his support once they get into Formula One, but if Massa can go into next season with a World Championship under his belt then it will be a damn sight harder for them to do so.
The disappointment was understandable, as Massa knows that this season is probably his best chance to win a World Championship. Now in his second season with the Ferrari team and after a strong finish to last season, he was strongly placed as one of the favourites to win the championship before the first race of the season. Having his new teammate beat him straight away was definitely not an ideal start, even though Massa did manage to claw his way back to 6th by the end of the race.
I don’t think many people would argue that Kimi Raikonnen is a superior driver to Massa, but many had thought that Massa’s experience in working with the team last year would give him an advantage over his new teammate in the early season races, allowing him to build up a gap that may allow him to challenge for the title. Although it would be unfair to dismiss his title challenge after one race, it is definitely not the start he was looking for.
Kimi Raikonnen, however, may not be the worst of Massa’s worries. Having become the first Brazilian since the late Ayrton Senna to win his home grand prix, Massa probably thought that he could count on the support of the Brazilian public for years to come. Unfortunately for him, his success has come at a time when two relatives of previous Formula One stars are well on their way to joining him in world motorsport’s prime series.
The rivalry between Ayrton Senna and Nelson Piquet for the support of the Brazilian nation in the eighties was one of the highlights of the sport, with the three-time world champion Piquet battling the young upstart Senna from Sao Paulo. It produced some brilliant battles on track and a lot of tension off it. In the end Piquet had already had his day in the limelight and by the end of the eighties Senna has taken over the mantle as Brazil’s hero; one only had to witness the droves of fans who turned out for his public funeral in 1994 to know the impact that Senna had on a large proportion of the Brazilian public.
In a couple of years the Piquet – Senna rivalry may just be the talk of Formula One once again. Piquet’s son, Nelson Jr (or Nelsinho as he appears to have been nicknamed) is already a test driver for the Renault F1 team whereas Senna’s nephew Bruno is ready to embark on his first season in GP2, Formula One’s feeder series, this year. It is likely Piquet could get a Renault drive next year if, as expected Giancarlo Fischella leaves Renault at the end of the season and the potential financial juggernaut that would be the Senna name back in Formula One is bound to fast track Bruno’s rise to the top of the sport.
But what does this all mean for Massa. Basically this season is do or die for him, both for his future on a top-running Formula One team and for the support of his nation. He really needs to out perform Raikonnen in the next few races, starting with the Malaysian Grand Prix this coming weekend and stamp his authority on the championship. There is no doubt that Piquet Jr and Bruno Senna will take away some of his support once they get into Formula One, but if Massa can go into next season with a World Championship under his belt then it will be a damn sight harder for them to do so.