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“Difficult” Fernando Alonso Blamed for Ferrari Divide by Former F1 Teammate

Published 01/24/2023, 8:45 AM EST

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via Reuters

Ferrari has consistently been one of the strongest teams in Formula One, and there have only been a few years when they were completely written off. The team owes its legacy to the iconic pairing over the decades, which has brought accolades to the team and made them successful in almost every department.

Felipe Massa was a member of two such pairings, along with Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, both of whom have won multiple championships. But despite his exceptional performance in his early years at Ferrari, Massa missed out on the championship by a point in 2008. Nonetheless, Massa made the most of the opportunity and learned from both his teammates.

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In a recent interview with swiatwyscigow.pl, the Brazilian talked about his relationship with Fernando Alonso. And as notorious as Alonso’s reputation of being a strong teammate is, Massa’s comments seem to add testimony to the claims.

He said, “First of all, he was an amazing driver. This cannot be denied. Still, working in a team with him was difficult. At the same time, the team was divided. After all, it wasn’t good for the band’s result. Also from my perspective, I didn’t have enough strength to make the band listen to me. It was quite difficult. Either way, there was also a lot of experience to gain.” [Translated using Google]

Fernando has always been a formidable challenger. As the young and determined Alonso wanted to grab every slice of the pie, it brought him to a crossroads against several other drivers.

Felipe Massa’s relationship with Michael Schumacher

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Massa and Schumacher had been teammates at Ferrari only for a year, i.e., 2006. But until then, the German already had seven championships under his belt and a lot of experience.

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Speaking about Schumacher as his partner, in the same interview, Massa confessed, “It was great. It was a great experience. Being Michael Schumacher’s teammate was a really great time. I learned a lot from him. He was an amazing driver. The way he worked… We were also very close. After all, I was lucky enough to be part of this experience.”

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WATCH THIS STORY: Charles Leclerc Gets Into Heated Debated With Max Verstappen Fan Over Dinner Time Conversation

Despite not winning the championship, Massa is regarded as a great driver by many, often held back by his own luck. With his F1 career over a long time ago, he has experimented elsewhere. Nowadays he can be seen in the paddock, often interviewing the podiums sitters. What is your favorite moment from Massa’s career?

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Written by:

Manan Goel

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Manan Goel is a Formula 1 author at EssentiallySports. As a literature student at Delhi University, he had been a geek for fiction and a nerd for sports. He claims Sebastian Vettel was his first love after seeing him at the Indian Grand Prix, and he has been a fan of the sport and Red Bull ever since.
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Edited by:

Ranvijay Singh