Raikkonen facing ‘a tricky situation’
Experienced Massa warns Ferrari driver and Bottas of Mercedes of ‘inevitable’ team orders
>> BAKU: Former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa has warned Kimi Raikkonen that it is inevitable he will be ordered to support Sebastian Vettel’s title bid, adding the same could be expected of Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes.
The Brazilian, who was beaten to the 2008 world title at the final corner of the final race in his native Sao Paulo, said his former teammate Raikkonen faces “a tricky situation”.
Massa, now with Williams, said: “They will try everything they can to win after how many years. Ferrari has not been winning things since 2007, and 2008, the constructors’ championship — so they will try everything they can.
“And, unfortunately, if you see the difference in points, Kimi is not in the position... I mean, he needs to accept what things can happen — and it will happen.
“I think if Ferrari is doing the same, then clearly Mercedes have to do it, also, but it depends. If [Lewis] Hamilton is winning easy, then it is easy.
“But if he is not, then they will need to do so because otherwise they are just giving up points and maybe that can affect the outcome at the end.”
Massa added that he recalled clearly how he and Raikkonen had supported each other in 2007 and 2008.
“I think I helped him a lot, in 2007, to get some good help. This is pretty clear,” he said at Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
“To be honest, what Kimi did for me in 2008, and what I did for him in 2007, I think was completely inside the sport.”
But Massa said Ferrari’s tactics at the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix, when Rubens Barrichello was asked to gift victory to seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, crossed the line.
“Not good — this is not inside the sport,” he said of the i nfamous incident.
Meanwhile, Romain Grosjean is talking himself up as a future Ferrari driver.
The Frenchman is in his second season with the American-owned Haas t eam, which uses Ferrari engines, and clearly fancies a shot at something bigger.
Ferrari’s Raikkonen is 37 years old and this could be in his last year in F1, meaning a spot might be available next year. Grosjean is certainly not shy putting himself forward for it.
“If there is an opportunity, if there is a seat, I believe I’m in a good position,” Grosjean said at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. “Who knows what the future holds?”
“Who knows what the F1 grid is going to be like next year? Then there’s the Kimi case, what is he going to do?”
Grosjean is one of the fastest drivers in F1 on single lap speed, but his career so far has been somewhat erratic. Although he has two secondplace career finishes, he was also given a one-race race ban for reckless driving at the Belgian Grand Prix in 2012.
Not one to be daunted, Grosjean cites the example of Mercedes driver Bottas as proof that getting a top seat is possible.
The Finnish driver, who also had not won a race before this season, was hurriedly signed from Williams by Mercedes after Nico Rosberg’s sudden decision to retire just days after winning last year’s F1 title.
“If you had asked Valtteri what he was doing I’m sure he would [have said]: ‘Yeah, I’m going to go again with Williams,’” Grosjean said. “Next thing you know, you’re in a world champion’s car. So it’s a phone call [away].”
At 31 years old, and with the last of his 10 career podiums back in August 2015, Grosjean is growing frustrated.
He has failed to finish two of seven races this season, with a best result of eighth place.
“You don’t get the chance to win a race,” he said. “It’s like you were starting the 100 metres race 10 seconds behind the others.”
In another developemnt, crisishit former champions McLaren are experiencing their worst-ever spell of form and face a fight to keep staff motivated, according to long-time shareholder Mansour Ojjeh.
The French Saudi Arabian-born entrepreneur said that he felt the team’s current tribulations in partnership with Japanese engine suppliers Honda had made them the most uncompetitive in their history.
“This is really new territory for us,” he said. “We’ve never been so uncompetitive in F1. We did have a terrible year with Peugeot, but this time around Honda has completely underestimated the job.”