Formula 1: Felipe Massa makes bold claim about Fernando Alonso

Felipe Massa recently made a bold claim about two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso, as he compare him to seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher.

Felipe Massa, who retired from Formula 1 after the conclusion of the 2017 season following a 16-year career in the sport during which he competed in 269 races, earned 11 victories, secured 41 podium finishes and finished in the top four in the driver standings three times, recently made a bold claim about two-time Formula 1 Fernando Alonso.

Alonso, who is in his 17th season driving in Formula 1, has driven in the sport in every season since the 2001 season except the 2002 season. In his 17-year career, he has driven in 303 races, earned 32 victories and secured 97 podium finishes to go along with his two championships.

Alonso’s win total of 32 ranks sixth on the all-time wins list behind only the win totals of Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.

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However, Alonso has not won a race since he won the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, and he has not finished a race in higher than fifth place since he finished in fourth in the 2014 Singapore Grand Prix. He has not finished a race on the podium since he finished in second in the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Massa’s bold claim pertained to Alonso and one of the five drivers who Alonso trails on the all-time Formula 1 wins list. In fact, it pertained to the driver who sits comfortably in first place on not only the all-time Formula 1 wins list with 91 victories but the all-time Formula 1 championships list with seven championships as well.

The 37-year-old Brazilian compared the 37-year-old Spaniard to the legend himself, Michael Schumacher, by claiming that the two drivers are on the “same level”.

Here is what Massa had to say about the matter, according to Planet F1.

"“As for pure talent, I would put Michael and Fernando on the same level. Alonso has the gift, the ease, of understanding a race and driving incredibly fast. A highly intelligent driver with extensive skills and I would say all that also about Michael. I have to admit – it was not easy to live by his side. I had a close relationship with Michael. I was young and eager to absorb all the knowledge of a seven-time champion, and Schumacher treated me very well.“But I had to wrestle with Fernando in a different way. Outside of the race car, I had zero problems with Alonso, we have always maintained a healthy working relationship. With Fernando, that’s one thing. If he pulls down his visor, he becomes another person. He can split a team. We saw that in many racing teams he drove for. I see that as his problem. Maybe he could have made more of his talent without this trait.”"

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Is Felipe Massa right to compare Fernando Alonso’s pure talent with that of the most accomplished driver in the history of Formula 1 by far, Michael Schumacher? How much better would Alonso’s statistics be if he had had the chance to drive a competitive car over these last few seasons?

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