Felipe Massa explains why the rivalry between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton will keep getting stronger until the end of the F1 season.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc had a big clash early in the Mexican Grand Prix at Turn 4. Hamilton was really upset with his teammate after Leclerc overtook him by going off the track, and Leclerc received a five-second penalty because of it. This incident might have cost both Ferrari drivers a shot at winning the race—Hamilton finished second, and Leclerc ended up fourth.
Since then, the two have been trading barbs ahead of the Sao Paulo GP this weekend, which has created a lot of tension inside the Ferrari team. Felipe Massa, who raced for Ferrari from 2006 to 2013 and dealt with some tough teammates himself, thinks this tension is only going to get worse.
Massa knows what it’s like to face pressure within Ferrari. He had some rivalry with Kimi Raikkonen, especially in 2007 when Raikkonen won the Drivers’ Championship while battling McLaren’s Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Near the end of that season, Massa had to accept team orders to help Raikkonen win the title. Later, when Alonso joined Ferrari, Massa again had to put the team’s goals first, even if it meant stepping back.
Massa believes the main reason for this ongoing tension between Hamilton and Leclerc is that there are no championships on the line for Ferrari this year. Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, he said: “When drivers are racing, they always push their hardest and want to stay ahead, even from their teammates. Leclerc is quick in qualifying, Hamilton is steady in races, so you can’t really stop them unless you give team orders when fighting for the championship. Back when I raced for Ferrari, it was clear: Kimi and I could race freely until Spa, and then whoever was leading got priority. If you’re not fighting for the title, drivers have more freedom to go for the win, and it’s harder to tell them what to do.”
Massa came close to winning the Drivers’ Championship in 2008 but lost to Hamilton by just one point in the final race. The next season was tough for him, especially after he got injured mid-year. Ferrari then brought in Alonso to try and grab the title. Massa understandably felt a bit hard done by, having nearly won the championship himself.
He tried to prove he was the best driver, but Alonso was stronger in qualifying and scored more points overall. Alonso consistently beat Massa in the standings, finishing second three times, while Massa’s best was sixth in 2010 and 2011.