Massa urges Ferrari to set clear rules for its drivers

Speaking on the High Performance podcast, Felipe Massa urged Ferrari to set clear rules for its drivers before a championship begins. He said the drivers wanted to show which of them was the team’s lead driver and described Ferrari’s situation this year as far from good. In Massa’s view, such tensions can arise when the team is not functioning perfectly or when its car, team or results are not as they should be.

The dispute at Ferrari followed the Mexican Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc took the lead from pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap after cutting the track. Hamilton fell behind Max Verstappen and could no longer challenge for victory; Leclerc was penalised. Hamilton wanted clearer conduct rules, which were also discussed in a meeting with team principal Fred Vasseur.

Massa pointed to his time at Ferrari with Kimi Räikkönen. He said they were free to race as long as they respected the team and did not take each other off. That freedom lasted until the race at Spa; after Spa, he said, Ferrari had to focus on its first driver.

Massa said he did not know how the drivers currently got along or how Ferrari operated internally. He nevertheless argued that their relations, communication and teamwork needed to improve, saying this would give the team a clearer way of working.