Massa to Jordan for 2003?
21 November 2002
Felipe Massa has added his name to the list of contenders for the second Jordan seat next year. The exciting young Brazilian driver has reportedly said ‘Its all decided, Eddie Jordan wants me in his team. I am very confident about the 2003 season. Should I not get a racing contract, I will sign on with one of the top teams as their test driver’.
This news may come as a surprise to some people, as Massa has been linked to Ferrari on a number of occasions as a test driver, and it looked like being a two horse race between current #2 driver Takuma Sato and ageing Ulsterman Eddie Irvine.
Last season was the young Brazilian's first in F1, who drove for the Sauber team, however he was replaced for 2003 by ex Jordan driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen – team boss Peter Sauber opting for experience over youth.
If Jordan were to go for Massa it would be a continuing trend for Jordan by giving young talent a chance. Around a third of last seasons F1 grid drove for Jordan earlier in their careers.
Jordan, while obviously looking for the driver who can do the better job, are also looking for the driver who will benefit the team most financially, both by low wage demands and much needed sponsorship money after. This comes after the team lost title sponsor Deutsche Post last week, although EJ says the team have already secured another title sponsor, which should be announced when the 2003 challenger, the EJ13 is launched.
Opinions?
Personally I think this could be a great move for the team. Although crash prone, Massa acquitted himself very well last year in his debut season, comparing well to Nick Heidfeld – who in my opinion is one of the fastest and most underrated drivers on the F1 grid.
The only problem I have with him is the fact that he could very well be attached to Ferrari in future, too many times Jordan have nurtured new talent only for another team to steal it from them. This should be the case for Takuma Sato, who should move to BAR in 2004. But if Jordan can hold on to him for a decent length of time, it could be a masterstroke, as I think Massa could turn out to be every bit as good as the likes of Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Raikkonen.
Regarding the money side of it – Massa should be very cheap, certainly no more expensive than Sato, and he should be cheaper than the overrated Irvine. And if a big Brazilian Company get behind him then it could be a marriage made in heaven.
One things for sure though, he is a much better prospect than the Honda bound Sato and the retiring Irvine.
Let’s see what happens!
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