Massa: Ferrari needs to make changes and 'fix things quickly'

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Former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa says new Scuderia boss Frédéric Vasseur has his work cut out at the Italian outfit which needs to make changes both swiftly and in the right way.

Ferrari hit the ground running at the start of last season, with Charles Leclerc winning two of the first three races as the Italian outfit's arch-rival Red Bull succumbed to reliability issues.

However, as the bulls and reigning world champion Max Verstappen clawed back his deficit, Ferrari's performance stagnated while technical issues and strategic errors weighed on the Scuderia's results.

After enjoying a healthy lead in the Drivers' standings, Leclerc was overhauled by Verstappen in the early summer, and the Dutchman and his team never looked back thereafter.

Leclerc was successful in his quest to finish runner-up in the championship, but it was a meager consolation for Ferrari whose top brass elected to replace Scuderia boss Mattia Binotto with Vasseur, Alfa Romeo-Sauber's former team principal.

Massa, who raced for eight seasons for the House of Maranello and finished second behind Lewis Hamilton in the 2008 championship, believes that Ferrari needs to follow up Vasseur's nomination with changes in its ranks, while only perfection will do when it comes to the team's execution.

"I think they need to fix the problem," Massa said, speaking to Polish motorsport website SwiatWyscigow.pl.

"They need to improve the things that are not working – on the strategy but also on many other things.

"They had 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."

Read also: New 2023 Ferrari reportedly 'one second faster' in simulator

However, the 41-year-old Brazilian also insists that changes need to be done in "the right way".

"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."

Last year, Leclerc held an edge against his Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz, and Massa hopes the Monegasque will have a car worthy of his talent this season.

"First of all, I think Charles is doing a fantastic job," he said. "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."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.