Thread: You're boss of Ferrari

I would go for 2007 WDC: Fernando Alonso. So Ferrari would have a number 1 on the car, and could win on 2008.

Who else could do it?

Liuzzi

Originally Posted by Bolton Midnight

Of course you have already decided to give Massa the elbow end of this year
??

I haven't decided anything yet. There is no need to jump ship immediately.

Massa's a good #2, and Ferrari have already paid for their #1.

Nick is not leaving BMW, Fisi is not being picked up by anyone (unless he pays), and Rubens has already been there and done that. So that would leave Webber & Nico.

Webber has been handedly outclassing his teammate during the 1st 2 events this year, and is likely to continue doing so. Redbull being an Adrian design, and with the new rules seeming to "equalize" the field somewhat (and it will only become more so in 2008 and beyond) a good argument could be made to stay with RB.

Nico could be a good choice, but there are certainly other drivers out there with equal ability.

Well, assuming that Massa had to be replaced and that Alonso, Hamilton, Kovalainen and Button are all off the market, it would be a tough call on who would replace the Brazilian.

Fisichella - too old, slow and inconsistent. Probably wouldn't handle the whole Italian driving a Ferrari thing very well.
Heidfeld - solid, but unspectactular. I don't think he is fast enough to back up Kimi and score enough points for the WCC.
Webber - great qualifier but a flakey racer. Apparently works hard so might be a good counterpoint to Kimi's more relaxed attitude.
Rosberg - getting better and looks to have a bright future. Would make a good long-term prospect.
Barrichello - been there, done that. Move along, nothing to see here.
Other - I can't see anybody else who would be an improvement over Massa. Davidson looks to be an asset in the development stakes but is unproven in F1 racing. If he has a good 2007 he might be worth a look. Forget the rest.

So I guess I'd try and pry Rosberg out of Sir Frank's hands or nab Davidson if he has a good 2007 and leaves Sato in the dust. Failing that, I'd stick Webber in the car for a year and probably concentrate on Kimi for the WDC.

Haven't you heard? Ferrari has developed andriods based on both MS image and skills, next year they will give both Kimi and Massa the boot and run 2 Michael Schumachers...

I guess as the new manager at ferrari, I'll have to decide which one is the #1 driver, and who plays #2...

On the false assumption that Mr Todt likes to juggle, he'll probably have to wait for a Prost-esque falling out with one of the McLaren drivers to get a replacement for Felipe that would reward the risk of the team's stability, which would be at stake if Ferrari inexplicably dumps Felipe.

Originally Posted by Hawkmoon

Fisichella - too old, slow and inconsistent. Probably wouldn't handle the whole Italian driving a Ferrari thing very well.

sadly i find Fisichella all TOO consistant.

i would have to go with rosberg (if thats not too scandocentric)

Originally Posted by Mifune

i would have to go with rosberg (if thats not too scandocentric)

What the hell is scandocentric? Having 2 Finns at Ferrari would make it Fintastic. And yeahyeah, Nico has a German passport also, but he is Keke´s son.

Anyway, a bit premature this whole thread. Do not shoot Massa yet. Even if he cannot beat Kimi doesnt mean he´s no good. I dont think there are ANY drivers on the grid who could beat KR.

If you are going to replace FM, then you will need a good car development driver since he has been doing much more development than Kimi. Kimi is fast and can be WDC, but I don't think he can develop a WDC winning car.

The only one that could do better than Felipe and is available is MS, but it would be hard to persuade him to come back!

Honestly I would keep Felipe, he'll recover.

Wow, again you are following the same ideology that "driver is as good as his last race." You're dumping Massa and are thinking about hiring Rosberg, who has just had two good races (btw, he was good at the start of last year as well, but in his case let's wait for the European season, where he started struggling last year).

I wouldn't even think about replacing Felipe unless he continues making such errors in almost every race.

Originally Posted by Bolton Midnight

Of course you have already decided to give Massa the elbow end of this year

No I haven't. One mistake in one race doesn't make me want to get rid of him. And considering that he was pushing, and beating, one of Ferrari's all time greatest drivers, Michael Schumacher, for pole position last season I certainly know he has what it takes to be quick when I give him the car he needs. I know he can win races too, as he displayed in Brazil last year, and is a consistant points scorer for the team. Why would I want to get rid of him and replace him with an unkonwn quantity?

I would keep Felipe and hire Alonso from McLaren. There you have a winning pair of drivers for the 2008 crown.

I'm with Carl here, I see no need to get rid of him, even if I think Raikkonen will do better.

Originally Posted by wmcot

If you are going to replace FM, then you will need a good car development driver since he has been doing much more development than Kimi. Kimi is fast and can be WDC, but I don't think he can develop a WDC winning car.

Ferrari has two very good drivers so why start talking about kicking any?

But because the situation today is like it is (Alonso 18, Kimi 16, Hamilton 14 and Massa 7 - that makes McLaren 32, Ferrari 23 after two GPs!!)

To get the best chance to win the champion titles to Ferrari it’s to give Kimi a first driver status for the year and start to work from that point and do it now. It’s better to give him all support you can give and let him fight against Alonso (and Hamilton) and do it now or it will maybe be too late to do it “then”.. that’s however my opinion ..

It surprise me a bit, that you really think Ferrari paid 36 milj euros for a guy who can’t develop his car?

I can tell you that each “that fast” driver always can do it, because you never can be fast if you can’t give the necessary feed back to your engineers.

The question is in first hand if a driver is able to give engineers a feed back, which makes his car to fit his driving and in other hand develop the car. All new parts you need to make a car better is a result of engineering and the driver can only tell what he needs and give a reliable feedback when the team is testing new parts. According to Ferraris engineers Kimi is a very intelligent guy and give them exact information. The fact that Felipe has been faster in tests is not showing how good feed back information a driver is giving. I’m sure, that both Ferrari drivers are good in their testing work and that it's not any problem.

Both drivers are also very fast but there is one big difference between them.
Massa is fast and when everything goes in his way he can win a race, but when something unusual happens he is not “cool enough” in his decisions. Kimi is opposite, a cool guy like that “ice man” from the north he is. He makes his race decisions from his nature, cold and calculating, always cool and the best possible race result in his mind, his overtakings are always calculated, when Massa sometimes can start an overtaking based only on his feelings. That’s something he must learn if he would like to be a champion some day.. but imo it’s too late for the season, maybe 2008?

Originally Posted by jas123f1

It surprise me a bit, that you really think Ferrari paid 36 milj euros for a guy who can’t develop his car?

I can tell you that each “that fast” driver always can do it, because you never can be fast if you can’t give the necessary feed back to your engineers.

The question is in first hand if a driver is able to give engineers a feed back, which makes his car to fit his driving and in other hand develop the car.

I think the best contribution a driver can give developing a car is to give exact feedback on how the car behaves and how changes effect that behaviour. I know people here seem to think that FA is somehow superior on developing the car, but I doubt VERY MUCH if he gives the engineers any advice on how to specifically set the car or what sort of parts to develop.

The drivers are not engineers. So the general idea that FA is behind the new McL is plain stupid. He is fast and he probably can give great feedback about his car, but thats it.

In one pre season interview FA said after testing last years McL that "now he understands why Kimi didnt win any races in 2006". And I still think the new McL was designed by engineers, not FA.

Originally Posted by Dzeidzei

The drivers are not engineers. So the general idea that FA is behind the new McL is plain stupid. He is fast and he probably can give great feedback about his car, but thats it.

In one pre season interview FA said after testing last years McL that "now he understands why Kimi didnt win any races in 2006". And I still think the new McL was designed by engineers, not FA.

That's my opinion too. FA has not so much to do how his car is designed but as any good driver he is giving reliable feed back to his engineers of the situation at the moment and helping on that way to develop the car in right direction to fit in his driving style. . What makes FA to a champion is in first hand his intelligent driving and acting on the track.

I think Massa is the best available option.

He's actually shown he's quicker than Kimi so far, so when you consider the fact Kimi is meant to be even quicker than Alonso, and that Kimi is earning 6 times more than Massa, Massa is doing a sound job. Once he gets himself together like he eventually did at the end of last season, it wouldn't surprise me to see him BEATING kimi. Though by then Kimi may have moved up another level as he settles into the team.