Ferrari enthusiast Massa: "Ferrari's problem is not a driver problem"

Ferrari in decline

Ferrari has fallen from a Formula One superpower to a sub-topper. The team finished third in 2021, which was mainly due to the strong performance of drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc and the disappointing performance of McLaren at the end of the season. Red Bull Racing and Mercedes have been two years out of touch with the Italian racing team; Ferrari picked up its last win in 2019.

Former Ferrari driver Massa left the team for Williams in 2013. The Brazilian is still a Ferrari fan, but saw Ferrari's disappointing form coming. Speaking to Spanish AS, he said, "It didn't surprise me. The best years of Ferrari were with [Michael] Schumacher and in 2006, 2007 and 2008. After 2009 Ferrari was no longer the team to beat, and it still isn't."

Will Ferrari recover?

2022 could potentially be a turning point for Ferrari. F1 introduces a new set of sporting and technical rules this year. Massa hopes it's going to have a big effect in Ferrari's favour, but at the same time thinks it will be difficult for Ferrari to provide a surprise: "I think the big teams like Mercedes and Red Bull will still be on top, but maybe Ferrari and McLaren as well."

Massa enjoyed the duel between Sainz and Leclerc and how Sainz proved equal to the skill of the Monégasque in his debut year. According to Massa, that duo is therefore not the problem at Ferrari: "Ferrari's problem is not a driver problem. It's a problem with the car; it's a problem with the team."