Felipe Massa has confirmed he will be entering the Italian Grand Prix with an aim of securing his first victory since the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, when the Ferrari driver was beaten to the Drivers’ Championship on home soil by the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton. Massa starts the Italian Grand Prix from 3rd on the grid, behind the McLaren duo.
Felipe Massa has endured several frustratingly uncompetitive seasons in Formula 1, since the Brazilian driver was injured during qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix. Since his return to the sport in 2010, Massa has struggled to match the pace of his team-mate, Fernando Alonso. Whereas Fernando Alonso has won numerous races for the Scuderia, Felipe Massa has visibly become the number two driver to the 2-time World Champion.
Due to the Brazilian’s lackluster performance in recent years, rumors have been floating around the paddock that Felipe Massa will leave Ferrari at the end of the current season. However, this weekend sees Massa start well ahead of team-mate Fernando Alonso, with a realistic chance of a return to the podium for the first time since the Korean Grand Prix back in 2010. When asked whether victory was Massa’s aim for the race, the Brazilian driver confirmed his ambition is set firmly on securing his 12th race victory.
“That’s always the direction we need to take.” Confirmed Felipe Massa, “We go to the grid thinking about victory, thinking about doing the maximum you can to win the race and that’s what I’m going to do tomorrow. They [McLaren] are very strong, they are quick but we have 53 laps in the race, we know how different the race can be compared to qualifying so for sure I want to try everything I can.”
Fernando Alonso will undoubtedly be storming his way through the field during the race, eager to take the fight to the McLaren duo of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. However, Felipe Massa has his own career to fight for, with a perfect opportunity to secure a competitive finish at Ferrari’s own back yard.
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