Mika Salo scratches Massa, Grosjean, Senna, and Maldonado
The former Finnish driver assesses the 2012 lineup and admits his surprise at still seeing Felipe Massa at Ferrari, while he considers the Senna/Maldonado duo, formed by Williams, perhaps the worst on the grid.
If there are still F1 observers who think, like the great Emerson Fittipaldi, that Felipe Massa will have his chance this season, there are others, like Mika Salo, who wonder why the Paulista is still defending the colors of the Scuderia: “I don’t think Massa will stay after this season,” confides the Finn on the Finnish channel MTV3, adding that he was “surprised he was allowed to continue this year.”
Indeed, the results do not favor the Paulista who raises questions and debate in the paddock. For the one who temporarily replaced Michael Schumacher after his accident at Silverstone in 1999, Fernando Alonso is clearly the number 1 driver, a position also held by Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull, with his two world titles won in 2010 and 2011.
Invited to comment on the situation in the other teams on the grid, Mika Salo points out that at McLaren, the other contender for titles in the past two seasons, the hierarchy is much less clear, as Lewis Hamilton has, for the first time in his career, had to submit to the law of his teammate. Indeed, the British team is currently the only one that includes two world champions, treated with the same respect, which could be detrimental to the men of Woking, according to the former Sauber, Toyota, and Ferrari driver: « If McLaren has a good car, then the drivers will take points off each other: this is not something that would happen in other teams. On the track, Hamilton is the fastest, but he is not as clever in the race as Button. »
Behind, the Lotus team will line up a duo of returnees where the 45-year-old Finn thinks his compatriot, Kimi Räikkönen, will easily have the upper hand over the reigning GP2 champion: « Kimi should be much faster than Grosjean who is only there because Boullier is his manager. » But the lineup that most catches Mika Salo’s attention is undoubtedly the one formed by Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna at Williams: « I think it’s one of the worst pairs. Both are likely to make mistakes. Senna had some good races last year but faded significantly towards the end. Maldonado, on the other hand, is a bit of a hothead, so I don’t think it will be a good season. For Valtteri Bottas [editor’s note: the third driver for the British team], there might be a good opportunity to start a race. »
