Massa: "Verstappen and Leclerc can become world champions"

Felipe Massa hasn't been in Formula 1 for a number of years. In 2017 the Brazilian said a final goodbye to Formula 1. That doesn't mean he has stopped following the sport. In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Massa talks about his rivalry with Fernando Alonso at Ferrari and about his expectation for next season.

"From what I've seen so far, it seems that Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton are the fastest. I don't think that fewer races is going to change that, because the factories of the teams are closed", says Massa. "I think Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen can become future world champions, but that means they have to win, in these times where the difference between teams is greater than the influence of the driver. The cars in these times are great, but nobody likes it when one team dominates".

In his time at Ferrari, Massa had to deal with Alonso as a teammate. The Brazilian compares that situation with the current situation, with Sebastian Vettel and Leclerc. "In my time with Alonso, he had so much power in the team that the rest was forgotten. Everything was in favor of one driver". Massa talks about the freedom that the current drivers have, compared to his time.

"At least the current Ferrari drivers are still allowed to fight, even when they have had an accident. There is much more balance, compared to when I was there, because they treat both drivers the same", concludes the Brazilian.