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Ferrari has Kimi as no.1 driver - Ralf |
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Monday, 12 May 2008 |
May 12 (GMM) Despite Felipe Massa soaring to his customary Turkish grand prix win on Sunday, Ralf Schumacher believes Ferrari has in place a clear 'number one' driver -- and it is not the Brazilian.
For the eleven years between 1996 and 2006, Ralf's elder brother Michael was the Maranello outfit's undisputed team leader, with the likes of Eddie Irvine, Rubens Barrichello and Massa playing the supporting role.
But with Kimi Raikkonen now the reigning champion at Ferrari, Ralf Schumacher - who moved from formula one to German touring cars this year - believes the Finn is clearly in control.
"Ferrari usually has a set number one and I think that is the case now," the German said in his post-race analysis for the German publication Bild.
Officially, Ferrari is adamant that its current policy is of total driver equality until late in the season, when logic dictates that the weight of the team's resources support the mathematically strongest teammate.
Massa's Turkey win means that he, like McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, is now 7 points behind Raikkonen in the drivers' chase.
After the race, the Brazilian insisted that he is very much in the title fight.
"It's important to be competitive and then in the last three races you're going to see who is going to have the greater chance to win," he told reporters.
Hamilton's teammate Heikki Kovalainen - a further 7 points behind the leading points battle - also believes it would be wrong to discount Massa.
"I think it would be stupid to overlook Felipe," he is quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph. "He looks very strong."
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