FEBRUARY 3, 2003

Massa to Ferrari

With his deal at Jordan now scuppered by the arrival of Ralph Firman Jr, it looks like Felipe Massa will end up as a test driver at Ferrari, a route which was first mentioned when Massa was dropped by Sauber last autumn. Massa has always enjoyed a rather mysterious link with the Italian team which seems to have been one of the reasons he was originally signed by Sauber but is always denied by everyone involved.

Massa is certainly quick although he was rather unruly on occasion last year but as he is very young a period spent as a test driver may quieten him down enough to turn him into a star in the future. The nomination of Massa as a test driver, which is likely to be confirmed at the Ferrari launch on Friday is probably bad news for Luciano Burti, the team's current number two tester.