Formula 1 - Felipe Massa's cruel mistress

The 2008 season was Felipe Massa’s coming of age – the year he finally delivered on his promise and the expectations which had been accompanying him ever since his move to Ferrari. It wasn’t just the final race; in which Massa thought he was the champion as he took the chequered flag after a faultless weekend, only for Lewis Hamilton to overtake a creeping Timo Glock on the last corner of the race and snatch the Championship. It was the maturity shown by him, often conspicuous by its absence in the past, during the whole season which led experts and fans alike to laud Massa’s performances.

Mixing consistency with speed, Massa would have been a deserving champion, and his coronation in his home nation of Brazil would surely have been a spectacle to endure. Alas, it wasn’t to be.

As it is, Massa lost the title by a single point in an extremely close fought season in which he regularly out qualified and outraced his teammate, defending champion, Kimi Raikkonen. Massa’s graciousness in accepting defeat at Interlagos that day won him a multitude of fans; his passion for racing and for his homeland plain for all to see, as a clearly emotional Massa celebrated his magnificent victory on the day and took solace in leading Ferrari to the 2008 Constructor’s Championship.

Felipe Massa celebrates after winning the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Felipe Massa’s talent had always been evident. He was hired by Sauber as a 20-year old in 2002 after just five tests, and was picked up by Ferrari in 2006 in a move which was at that time widely perceived as confirmation that Michael Schumacher wanted an inferior driver as his teammate.

It did not take Massa long however, to assert his own authority. After a disappointing first half of the season which served to embolden his critics, Massa came back at them with his first F1 pole and win in Turkey and did not look back, finishing the season 3rd behind champion and future teammate Fernando Alonso and Schumacher.

But the most memorable moment of his season was to be a special one for all Brazilians as he dominated his way to a highly emotional victory in his native Brazilian Grand Prix. In what was Michael Schumacher’s final race for Ferrari before his first retirement, Massa ensured that Ferrari fans could still look forward to a bright future by stealing the spotlight from under his more illustrious teammate’s nose. It was the first time a Brazilian had won at Interlagos since the late great Ayrton Senna.

That Massa was quick, had never been in doubt. His speed was plain for all to see, as was his recklessness, exemplified by his tendency to spin off the track. But when he gets it right, there is nobody who can dominate a race weekend like Massa can. That is what happened in Turkey in 2006 and later in Brazil, and the fact that it happened with regularity in 2008 is what took Massa to within a hair’s breadth of the Championship.

Massa with Schumacher – a formidable team.

Massa’s hot headedness has always been his Achilles’ Heel. Combined with his competitiveness, this makes him prone to mistakes. But it was not a mistake, rather a freak accident which almost ended his career in 2009.

If 2008 was his coming of age, the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix brought with it his mid life crisis, which struck him in the shape of a suspension spring which had come loose off compatriot Rubens Barrichello’s car. Massa was knocked unconscious, and subsequently crashed head on into a tyre barrier, his feet pressing on both the accelerator and brake pedals. He suffered a head cut, an open fracture to his skull and a concussion. He ultimately made a full recovery, and returned to racing in 2010,but his season was over.

Massa has never returned to the heights of 2008. Was it the accident which had a psychological impact? Or was it a combination of other factors – a slower car, Alonso’s status as a prime driver, a rampant Sebastian Vettel – which didn’t allow him to climb back to the top? Only Massa will know.

But what is certain, is that, while all such mishaps are disastrous, Massa’s came at a very unfortunate time. It followed his best ever season, and led him to miss the majority of a season in which he could very well have consolidated his standing as Ferrari’s number one driver. Instead, he returned to a Ferrari garage which was enthusiastically welcoming Fernando Alonso and unsure of how Massa would fare following his accident.

Felipe Massa waving the chequered flag at the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix

The highlight of his comeback season came during the German Grand Prix, when he relinquished the lead to Alonso, thereby allowing him to take the chequered flag in an incident which led to Ferrari being fined for breaking sporting regulations.

Of course, Felipe Massa was no stranger to team orders. Sandwiched between his victories in 2006 and 2008, the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix saw him yield first place to allow Raikkonen to take the victory and the World Championship.

Massa had come full circle. From playing the supporting role in Raikkonen’s title triumph in 2007, to almost winning the Championship himself in 2008 and finally doing his best to help Alonso challenge for the title in 2010.

He has had to make more than his fair share of sacrifices for team mates, and while he has obeyed team orders without complaint in the past, it all got a little too much for him this year when he refused to let Valtteri Bottas overtake him in the Malaysian Grand Prix, despite instructions from the pit garage.

But he has enjoyed a semi-resurgence with Williams in 2014, made all the more sweet by the fact that his Mercedes powered car has been able to out pace the Ferraris of Alonso and Raikkonen. His grit and competitiveness is shining through again, indicated by his charge up the field in Canada – only to be stopped by a collision with Sergio Perez, judged by the stewards to be the Mexican’s fault.

He secured pole position in the subsequent Austrian Grand Prix, his first since Brazil in 2008. His misfortune came back to bite him again in the race though. A slower pit stop resulted in him losing track position and he ultimately finished the race in 4th position. Another case of ‘so close, yet so far’ for the Brazilian.

The then Ferrari team principal, Stefano Domenicali said after 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, “That’s sport. It can sometimes be cruel.” Sport can indeed be cruel – and Felipe Massa has been on the receiving end more than most.