Alonso v Massa - Who Will Win ?

in DRIVERS F1 2010 by admin — March 13, 2010 at 7:37 am | 4 comments

Battle of the Drivers – Alonso vs. Massa

All Grand Prix racing seasons offer a lot of inter-team competition. What makes 2010 special is the intra-team battles – while the fight to take home the World Constructors’ Crown is going to be as fierce as ever, the fight for supremacy inside team pairings will be just as tough.

One of the most hotly anticipated line-ups of the 2010 season can be found at Scuderia Ferrari, where old hand Felipe Massa will be joined by double world champion Fernando Alonso. Despite a number of carefully coordinated press statements talking about cooperation and the importance of team working, tongues are already wagging about the potential for volcanic eruptions in Maranello.

Both drivers can be counted among the grid’s finest, and both men have something – or several somethings – to prove in 2010. So who is likely to come out on top? My money’s on Massa.

There’s no doubt that Fernando Alonso is an incredibly talented driver. Widely held to be the best all-rounder on the grid, the Spaniard took Renault to two double-championship victories in 2005 and 2006, and challenged for the 2007 drivers’ title with McLaren. But even now that Alonso’s been given a car he’s described as the best he’s driven in F1, I don’t think we’ll see him best his teammate.

While much of F1 action happens on the track, an awful lot takes place behind the scenes. One of the most important aspects of the competition is the mental game played between drivers. Every competitor knows that the easiest man to defeat is one who has already beaten himself into a place of submission, to an admission of potential failure. Massa and Alonso may be well-matched behind the wheel, but when it comes to the mental game the Brazilian is streets ahead.

If you are in any doubt about Felipe Massa’s strength of character and determination, look up footage of the moment he lost the 2008 World Drivers’ Championship at Interlagos. The story of Lewis Hamilton’s victory is already the stuff of F1 legend, but the real story was Ferrari’s rollercoaster ride – already celebrating their double victory, the Scuderia learned the drivers’ crown had been lost at the eleventh hour. Disappointed, Massa took it on the chin like a true gentleman, and was generous to Hamilton in his post-race interviews.

But what does Brazil 2008 have to do with the 2010 season, I hear you ask? Massa’s demonstration of grace under pressure is indicative of his strength of character and resolve – he has enough confidence that he is not easily destabilised. Fernando Alsonso, on the other hand, is a more tempestuous character.

Both Alonso and Massa have outpaced teammates, and both men have been beaten by teammates. While Massa seems to take both victory and defeat in his stride, Alonso is less gracious. The 2005 season was marred by team order controversies at Renault, and with the exception of Lewis Hamilton in 2007, Alonso hasn’t been paired with a teammate who could challenge him. It will be interesting to see how a more adult Alonso responds.

While Alsonso has no doubt matured since the McLaren days, the fact remains that his 2007 performance was affected by mind games with a rookie. The Spaniard can’t afford to let that happen again this year – with the Tifosi behind him and a good car beneath him, Alonso should be on to a winner. But both he and Massa have something to prove in 2010, and that’s where the mind games usually start.

Following a lucky escape from serious injury as a result of his accident in Hungary last year, Felipe Massa needs to show the world at large – and himself – that he still has what it takes to be a serious championship contender. Ideally this year would see the Brazilian bring his first WDC to Maranello, proof of his recovery and a guarantee of renewal for the contract due to expire at the end of the season.

Sure, Massa performed well in winter testing – both he and his teammate were regularly top of the time sheets across the four weeks, and the car performed well on qualifying runs and in race simulations. Given the sheer endurance needed to complete some of the endless stints behind the wheel – Ferrari’s testing days easily surpassed race distances – it is safe to say that physically Massa still has what it takes to compete. The first race will show us if the accident left any residual caution that wasn’t evident in testing, but that’s not the only potential cause of change in the young Brazilian.

Two weeks after the 2010 season drew to a close, Massa became a father for the first time. Fatherhood is widely thought to soften F1 drivers, as they rightly prioritise their family future over risky decisions made at break-neck speed. We have yet to see whether Massa will exercise a bit more caution on track, but the combination of post-accident wariness and fatherhood could add a few tenths to his lap time.

If Alonso wants to beat Massa – and it is in his power to do so – he needs to make sure that he beats his teammate on the track. If Massa finds himself consistently out-qualified and beaten by his teammate, then the success of any mind games will be fairly limited.

Should the two men find themselves roughly equal on points, which I see as a likely scenario, then the intra-team battle will be fought in the paddock and in the mind, not behind the wheel. And that battle is Massa’s for the taking.

Kate Walker