Massa - I'd Better Quit Than Become No 2

Felipe Massa insisted that he would never be a number 2 driver in Formula One, not at Ferrari and not at any team in the series. Talking to the reporters in Hungary, the place where he nearly lost his live a year ago, in the qualifying session of the Hungarian Grand Prix, the Brazilian racer said that he'd rather quit than stay at Ferrari as a No 2 driver.

“The time I have to I say I am the number two driver, I will not race anymore,” said Massa to reporters, according to the GMM news agency, after earlier in the day he arrived at the circuit joined by his Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali.

Earlier this week though, his very father Luiz Antonio admitted that the German events clearly showed Ferrari have issued team orders for Fernando Alonso to win the race, hinting that what his son did was not embrace his No 2 status, but follow orders and show loyalty to his team.

Therefore, what Massa is now suggesting in Hungary is that he's not a No 2 driver, but rather a team player.

That distinction however is not for many to observe, wrote former Grand Prix driver David Coulthard in his latest Telegraph column, arguing that many will consider the Brazilian a “yes man” from now on.

“People will see him now as a 'yes man' who bends to the will of the company. And maybe they are right. Team player or stooge? The line is thin,” wrote DC.

Mercedes Benz motorsport director and current employer of Michael Schumacher, Norbert Haug – if one can see the irony – also echoed DC's comments, suggesting that an outspoken No 2 status within a team can really have a negative impact on a drivers' morale.

“If you say 'you are number two' ... it's a complex issue. If the drivers are not fully motivated you will not achieve anything. That needs to be kept in mind,” said Haug.