It’s that time of the season when the teams, drivers and journalists play an elaborate game of cat and mouse, with one side not wanting to say much about the future and the other trying to get a sensational story. That was certainly the case when Felipe Massa met the press at Scuderia Ferrari’s hospitality unit this afternoon. Asked if was going to the Williams team next year, the Brazilian displayed all the political skills that a driver needs these days in Formula 1.
“I have nothing to say for the moment,” he began, before saying something. “When the time is right I will comment. For sure, I am talking with a few teams, including even Williams.”
The Ferrari man reiterated his wish to only stay in the sport if he could be competitive. “I will not go to a small team. I will go to the team that has possibilities to build a good car. I’m not a pay driver, so I will not go to a team just because I have a sponsor. I will go for my experience and for what I have already achieved in my career.”
All this talk about the future doesn’t mean Felipe isn’t concentrating on the remaining four races. “I want to try the best I can to score as many points as possible,” said the Ferrari man. “The team is still fighting for second place in the championship and this is very important for us and it’s the only thing I have in my mind.”
Asked to explain the downturn in Ferrari form since the summer, Felipe refused to endorse the belief that it is all down to the changes Pirelli introduced mid-season on the tyre front. “We cannot blame the tyres,” he maintained. “We were not leading the championship before they changed the tyres. We were not the quickest car on the track before they changed the tyres. So you cannot blame the tyres for the position we are in the championship and for the car’s performance on track.”