Rumor
Formula 1
Massa staying put, Hulkenberg to Sauber
GMM
Edited: Oct 15, 2012, 1:21 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Oct.15 (GMM) Felipe Massa has done enough to secure a new Ferrari contract for 2013.
The Brazilian was at times even faster in Korea than his championship-challenging teammate Fernando Alonso, and after the race team boss Stefano Domenicali was all but confirming paddock rumours that a new deal will be announced imminently.
"As my friend (singer) Laura Pausini would say, 'Wait and see'," Domenicali said.
Felipe Massa, Ferrari on the grid
Photo by: xpb.cc
He said Ferrari's position would be made clear "very soon".
Asked if he still had any doubts he will still be racing a red car in 2013, the similarly-smiling 31-year-old Massa said in Korea: "No, I don't.
"But anyway we wait for the (right) time. I think it will be pretty soon to be honest."
With Massa's future now clear, it has also emerged that Nico Hulkenberg - until now a leading contender to replace the formerly-struggling Brazilian - will instead move over to Ferrari-powered Sauber to replace Sergio Perez.
"At the moment, my focus is simply on 2012 and doing the best I can," the German said in Korea after racing to an impressive sixth place.
But his future boss Peter Sauber told Blick newspaper on Sunday: "Nico's race was very strong."
Sauber said much less about Kamui Kobayashi's race, leaving it to Jenson Button to brand the Japanese an "idiot" and "Kobay-crashi" for his first-lap antics.
Kobayashi is believed in real danger of losing his seat to the Telmex-backed Esteban Gutierrez.
Button was also not impressed with his future McLaren teammate Sergio Perez's first-lap driving, saying of the Sauber pair: "It's very poor driving standards, considering this is the pinnacle of motor sport."
"A race is not two corners long and some people need to learn that. Whether they will ever learn that, we will have to wait and see," he added.
With Hulkenberg moving over to Sauber, reports suggest the leading contenders to replace him at Force India are Adrian Sutil, Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Both Toro Rosso drivers scored points in Korea
Next article Media and sponsor muzzle for Alonso in 2012 finale
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
GMM
Jules Bianchi's father speaks of family's continued hopes
Formula 1
Formula 1 Apr 13, 2015
Jules Bianchi's father speaks of family's continued hopes
Sauber under no illusions about constructors' position
Formula 1
Formula 1
Chinese GP
Apr 13, 2015
Sauber under no illusions about constructors' position
Pirelli chief calls for radical F1 overhaul
Formula 1
Formula 1 Apr 5, 2015
Pirelli chief calls for radical F1 overhaul
More from
Jenson Button
The greatest F1 campaigns with no wins
Formula 1
The greatest F1 campaigns with no wins
Fernando Alonso earns Michael Schumacher comparison from Jenson Button
Formula 1
Formula 1
Italian GP
2 mo
Fernando Alonso earns Michael Schumacher comparison from Jenson Button
Who belongs on F1's Mount Rushmore? Pick your four greatest drivers
Formula 1
Formula 1 2 mo
Who belongs on F1's Mount Rushmore? Pick your four greatest drivers
More from
Ferrari
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
1 d
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
Latest news
“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 16 min
“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return
Myers Riley Motorsports adds Andretti alongside returning Fraga for 2027 IMSA GTD campaign
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 40 min
Myers Riley Motorsports adds Andretti alongside returning Fraga for 2027 IMSA GTD campaign
Las Vegas GP reveals neon sign-inspired trophy design
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Las Vegas GP
1 h
Las Vegas GP reveals neon sign-inspired trophy design
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe