Massa: Tires are the key to success for Ferrari and Vettel in Malaysia
Felipe Massa believes that a good understanding and use of the tires in Malaysia by Ferrari allowed Sebastian Vettel to win the race. The Williams driver nevertheless emphasizes the progress made during the winter by the Scuderia.
The success of Sebastian Vettel in his Ferrari in Malaysia continues to be a topic of debate. The Mercedes, which were thought to be untouchable, are finally accessible thanks to a few key factors, such as the use of tires supplied by Pirelli, for example.
In any case, this is the explanation put forward by Felipe Massa to justify the good pace of the Scuderia’s cars: « They had a better car in Malaysia and a better pace as well. They managed to use their tires in a better way. In Malaysia, everything was related to the tires. »
Although the Williams driver seems to want to downplay the performances of Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen, he does not doubt that his former team has made interesting progress during the winter: « I think their victory is linked to the tires because otherwise, why wouldn’t they have secured the pole position if they were really faster? Certainly, they were faster in the rain, but in dry conditions, they were slower. It’s really due to the tires I think, or at least I hope so, of course. »
« They have built a good car and they have improved. I must say they’ve done a good job, they’ve improved more than anyone. » he concluded for our colleagues at Autosport.
