Felipe Massa is faring decently for a driver who hung up his helmet at the conclusion of last season.
The Brazilian earned a reprieve following Valtteri Bottas’ hasty elevation to Mercedes in the wake of Nico Rosberg’s unforeseen retirement, and hasn’t betrayed Williams’ faith in him as a capable set of hands.
Though his points haul to date isn’t eye-catching, the 36-year-old has displayed pace not witnessed since the peak of his Ferrari days, and across the opening five races has been unlucky on several occasions to be denied a greater haul.
A slow puncture cost Massa sixth at Russia, while a first-lap collision with Fernando Alonso at Spain arguably destroyed a top-five result considering the attrition witnessed among the leading teams.
His teammate, Lance Stroll, appears increasingly out of his depth. Regardless of whose fault this is – driver, team or Stroll senior’s heavy pockets – Williams cannot be confident of the Canadian’s abilities to carry a team.
Roar Expert Michael Lamonato pondered in his latest column that “it might take the burning out of his career” for outfits to realise they’re putting lambs out to slaughter in forcing rookies to bypass feeder categories. Williams’ hopeful realisation that Stroll requires time to mature – independent of financial incentive, at the risk of being lost to the sport ahead of his time – might yet play the greatest role in Massa’s retention.
Massa endured his own rocky initiation into the sport, earning a reckless reputation throughout his debut season at Sauber in 2002, which included in a one-race suspension, ultimately leading to a year on the sidelines.
Cooling his heels as Ferrari’s test driver in 2003 proved invaluable on Massa’s return to the cockpit the following season, while his campaign alongside Michael Schumacher at Maranello in 2006 completed his transformation.
It’s too soon to judge where Stroll is at, though the parallels are there to be realised if a little perseverance is applied, which Massa can attest to.
A case could be made for any number of alternatives to fill the breach, including reserve Paul di Resta and the aptly named Felipe Nasr, yet it makes sense for the team to continue on the current trajectory, particularly considering the fierce development race.
There is a train of thought that denying the next generation a seat will lead to a weaker field in years to come, though it could be a wise investment in Stroll’s future if he spends the bulk of this season analysing every aspect of Massa’s approach – with any noteworthy results a bonus, and concentrating on placing it to practice in 2018, while the Brazilian remains alongside him for another 12 months.
Massa believes that the outfit is now “a lot more correct, intelligent and [has] very good connection”, thanks to the arrivals of Paddy Lowe and Dirk de Beer, while increased input from Mercedes, as part of the Bottas agreement, should bear greater fruit next season.
Retaining Massa, so long as he is consistently extracting the optimal results, might appear to be a conservative decision, though he remains the perfect driver for Williams as an independent outfit which continues to lack a works engine package.
Perhaps Stroll willl display no indication of progress and find himself cast aside in appropriately ruthless fashion, while Massa continues in his own right, though it seems that their respective fates are inextricably linked.
For now, the Brazilian can’t regret his decision to race on.
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