Every Now and Then I Fall Apart
I think I mentioned in the Canada podcast, that Massa has really taken a step up in my estimation. Previous to this season, I thought of him as a bit of a no-hoper, clinging on to the coat tails of Michael Schumacher. A harsh assumption, but it was just that, an initial opinion based on very little evidence. He came a very second best to Raikkonen last year, and so I’d basically written him off.
Turnaround
So, what’s changed? I’m going to pin it all on Monaco. Massa was having a dire start to the season - three races in, zero points, Raikkonen dominating, not a lot to look forward to. Then Monaco came along and everything was different. It began with the usual pre-qualifying excuses, that he didn’t like the track and wasn’t expecting to do well. But he stormed out there and took pole position, surprising everyone, including himself. I don’t remember the exact words, but afterwards his race engineer Rob Smedley said they had both worked like the devil on the track and on Massa’s mind. It clearly worked and something had clicked.
Total Eclipse
Since then, it’s been all good for Felipe. He may not always take the win, as in Canada, but he’s always there, a thorn in the other driver’s side, challenging them. Whilst everyone was panicking about the track breaking up at Montreal, Massa was there, cool as you like, ready to take it as it comes. The results will surely follow.
