Felipe Massa has called on new Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur to quickly install the necessary changes that will enable his former team to progress from the failings of last season and mount a more serious assault for Formula 1 title success in 2023.
Vasseur will become the fifth individual to take on the poisoned chalice role of team principal at the Maranello-based team since their last championship win in 2008 and the Frenchman will be hoping to avoid the same problems that stifled his predecessor’s tumultuous spell at the helm.
Last season the recently departed Mattia Binotto became the unfortunate casualty of a year that opened so promisingly for the team in red but soon unravelled spectacularly.
Ferrari began the newest rules revolution with the outright fastest – and most reliable – car in the field and ushered in the new campaign with two wins in the first three races – including an emphatically dominant grand slam in Australia.
An immense start – coupled with teething technical troubles for their closest challengers, Red Bull – left Ferrari well clear at the top in both standings and suddenly into the unexpected position of being the overwhelming favourites.
However, only two more wins would follow in the remainder of the season as a string of terminal power unit problems were followed by multiple strategical failings that practically placed them out of contention for both championships by the summer break.
Unsurprisingly, Massa has become the next high-profile name to vocally express the challenges that lie ahead for Vasseur in reversing Ferrari’s flailing fortunes.
“I think they need to fix the problem,” Massa stated recently when speaking to the Polish site, SwiatWyscigow.pl.
“They need to improve the things that are not working – on the strategy but also on many other things.
“They have mechanical issues at the beginning of the season. They had problems in the pit stop; many, many problems in the strategy.
“In the end, to win the championship, everything needs to be perfect.”
Regardless of the swift changes Massa believes Ferrari needs to make, the Brazilian also accepts that such development must be implemented correctly.
“For me, when you have a season like that, it’s important to fix things the right way. If you start to change things and you change for the wrong way, that is not good.
“So, you need to change things in the right way and fix them quickly.”
Charles Leclerc was one of the standout performers across 2022 and firmly established himself as the faster and more refined driver at the Scuderia last season, with the Monegasque driver consistently outperforming Carlos Sainz and finishing runner-up in the points standings only to runaway champion, Max Verstappen.
When questioned on the potential for Leclerc to take the fight to Verstappen again and end Ferrari’s title drought, Massa said: “First of all, I think Charles is doing a fantastic job.
“He’s a great driver, he really deserves to be in a competitive car.
“He deserves to have the opportunity to fight for the championship as a driver.”
