Ferrari made the right decision by favouring Fernando Alonso
Former drivers Nelson Piquet Junior and Gerhard Berger support Ferrari’s decision of letting the Spaniard Fernando Alonso take the lead from Felipe Massa in Germany, since Fernando still has a chance at the World Championship. Felipe Massa was asked to pull over so that Alonso can win the race and close in on the drivers’ standings. This resulted in widespread criticism for the team for violating the ban over the team orders. The Italian team has to explain its action to the World Motor Sport disciplinary hearing next month.
Fernando’s former Renault teammate Nelson Piquet Junior however, supports Ferrari’s decision. He believes that Ferrari will always favour the quicker man and that is Alonso in this case. "It's hard for Massa that Alonso came into the team later but is faster," Piquet told Brazilian newsmagazine Istoe. He pointed out that no team will compromise the opportunity to give their driver a chance of close the gap on the championship leaders. Massa must work out a way in order to go faster than Alonso, if he does not want this to happen. Piquet said that if he were ahead in the Championship, it would have been him passing Alonso.
Felipe Massa was born on 25 April 1981 and has been in the Formula 1 since 2002. His debut team was Sauber and he stayed with the team until 2005 before joining Ferrari. Sauber was not able to give Massa a podium, pole or a win. It was after he joined Ferrari that Massa started showing his true colours. The Brazilian won 2 races and got 7 podiums along with 3 pole positions in his first season with Ferrari. He finished in 3rd position in the drivers’ standings this year with 80 points and the critics were immensely impressed with the 29-year-old performance. Felipe scored 11 wins, 31 podiums and 15 pole positions with his team. His best performance was in the year 2008 when he finished 2nd in the drivers’ standings with 97 points and was just 1 point short of the Championship. However, Felipe was involved in one of the most horrifying accident ever witnessed in the Formula 1. The Brazilian was hit in the head by a spring that flew from a rival car during the qualifying of the Hungarian Grand Prix. Felipe went through a surgery for serious head injuries and was lucky to survive. He was expected to return to the Formula 1 in 2010 at the very highest level. However, Massa has not been able to score a single victory in 12 races. He is currently in 6th place in the drivers’ standings with 97 points.
His teammate Fernando Alonso however, has been outperforming him since he joined Ferrari this year. The Spaniard has been in the Formula 1 since 2001 with team Minardi. Fernando was not able to score any points in his first year but his performance was very impressive and Renault signed him for year 2003. Alonso won his first race that season along with 4 podium positions and 2 pole positions. Fernando impressed the critics with his outstanding performance keeping in mind his team did not seem very strong. 2005 was his year when he won the Championship with 133 points with the help of 7 wins, 15 podiums and 6 poles. He was the first driver to beat Michael Schumacher in the drivers’ standings after 5 years. The 29- year-old stayed with Renault for another year, and dominated the season once again by winning the Championship with 134 points. The Spaniard joined McLaren in 2007 and had a good season as he finished 3rd in the drivers’ standings with 109 points. After a controversial time in McLaren, Fernando had to join Renault again before he could join Ferrari in 2010. Alonso is currently in 5th place with 141 points and still is in reach of the drivers’ Championship.
The 2-time champion Gerhard Berger believes that Ferrari made the right decision by letting Alonso win the race in Germany, since he still has a shot at the title. He added that there could only be one team leader and in this case, Alonso is the one. Therefore, Massa must support and do whatever he can to ensure that Alonso secures as many points as he can. Berger told the Auto Motor und Sport that Alonso is clearly the better option right now and he is their only chance for the World Championship. The support of these the former drivers seems to lift Ferrari’s hopes for the hearing, which is due next month.
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