Correct me if I’m wrong, but the last Formula 1 race was Monaco, right?
Nonetheless, it appears Silly Season is ready to get into full swing, if it isn’t there already.
A report today has Felipe Massa in talks with Ferrari, of course, but also one other team — apparently Renault.
Massa’s contract is up after this year, and we’ve all been hearing the Robert Kubica or Mark Webber rumors as replacements for him at Ferrari.
I guess maybe Felipe has heard it, too.
Here are some bits and pieces:
Felipe Massa could be heading to Renault in 2011 according to a report in Finland’s Turun Sanomat.
Massa’s manager, Nicolas Todt, is said to have already held contract talks with both Ferrari and one other team, believed to be Renault.
Massa has been with Ferrari since 2006, but his current deal runs out at the end of the season. Having been overshadowed by team-mate Fernando Alonso so far in 2010, speculation is rife that Ferrari will look to replace him at the end of the season.
I know this probably feels like one of those thin rumor-based stories, but it does quote Felipe:
“I like it a lot at Ferrari – I know everybody and everybody knows me,” Massa told Turun Sanomat. “However, it is always encouraging to know that other teams with fast cars are interested in me. The main objective is to continue with Ferrari, but if that fails than we will look elsewhere.”
Felipe getting bounced from Ferrari would be among the cruelest driver moves I can think of, at least for a while. We’re not even a year out from his Hungary crash. Poor Felipe.
And, to be honest, I’m not sure any other driver would be doing a lot better than he is. Yes, Kubica has been on fire, as has Webber. But in the Ferrari environment, I wonder if they would be performing as well.
One thing that doesn’t seem clear is whether Renault is courting Massa to replace Kubica or Petrov. I’m tempted to say that Bobby K seems, temperamentally, a better No. 1 driver than Massa, but Felipe sure held his own last year running alongside Kimi Raikkonen.
Man, this F1 is a finicky sport, huh? If you needed the reminder.
