Massa confident of victories in 2013 - MotorSportsTalk

Felipe Massa is confident of continuing Ferrari’s strong start to the season as he looks to claim his first Formula One victory since the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix.

The Brazilian driver currently sits fifth in the championship, having scored 22 points after two strong finishes in Australia and Malaysia. Despite struggling in Malaysia, Massa finished P5 behind both Red Bull and Mercedes drivers, and he admitted that he didn’t have the pace to win.

“I don’t think we had the car to win, but I think we have a competitive car for fighting for the podium,” he told Autosport.

Massa also spoke about the improvement the team had made, but he was unwilling to get carried away with Ferrari’s pace.

“We need to keep our feet on the ground as well. We did great work on the car from last year to this year, but there’s a lot to do to get the evolution right and make it more competitive.”

However, the 2008 championship runner-up was confident that he could once again challenge for victories if Ferrari continue their upward trend.

“I think if we carry on in this direction, the chance for winning races and fighting for the championship is there.”

In the constructors’ championship, Ferrari are currently third, 26 points behind Red Bull, but the Italian marque will be paying close attention to the tension between Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber which could hinder their title defense. If Massa can continue his good form, Ferrari could be set to challenge for their first constructors’ championship in five years.

Ryan Hunter-Reay was named to replace Conor Daly in Ed Carpenter Racing’s No. 20 Dallara-Chevrolet, starting in the NTT IndyCar Series event next week at Road America.

Hunter-Reay is the 2012 series champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner. He finished 11th for Dreyer & Reinbold last month in the 107th Indy 500, his first start since the 2021 season finale. He drove full time for Andretti Autosport from 2010-21.

“We need to improve our competitiveness and I wanted to add a fresh perspective from a driver like Ryan who has a massive amount of experience and success as well as a reputation as a team leader. I am excited to welcome Ryan to the team,” team owner Ed Carpenter said in a team release. “We have worked together in the past as teammates and he tested for ECR at Barber Motorsports Park in October 2021, where he made an immediate impact as we were able to qualify one of our cars on the pole following that test. I am confident that his experience and technical abilities will be an asset to ECR as we move forward toward our goals as a team.”

Hunter-Reay has 18 IndyCar victories, most recently in 2018. He also is a winner in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, having been a part of winning entries in the 2020 Twelve Hours of Sebring and 2018 Petit Le Mans. Last year, he was an endurance driver for Cadillac Racing while being on standby for Chip Ganassi Racing.

He replaces Daly, whose departure was announced a day earlier in what the driver and team said was a mutual decision.

“I was surprised when I got the call from Ed,” Hunter-Reay said in a team release. “He described how frustrated he was that his team has not been able to realize its potential despite their efforts, investments, as well as technical and personnel changes over the past few years and asked for my help. Ed and I are very close friends and have been for a long time. I’ve worked with the team in the past and they are a very talented group with high expectations and a committed partner in BITNILE.COM.

“This will certainly be a challenge for me as well. It’s a tough situation jumping in a car in the middle of the season without any testing in what I believe to be the most competitive series in the world. Certainly, part of my motivation in saying ‘yes’ to Ed is the great challenge ahead. The last time I turned right driving an NTT IndyCar Series car was in October of 2021 with this team at Barber. However, I remain very confident in both my driving and technical abilities and believe by working with the talented people at ECR and Team Chevy, while representing BITNILE.COM, we will make progress. I am going to do everything I can do to help the team achieve its long-term objectives.”

Said Milton “Todd” Ault, the chairman of sponsor BitNile.com: “It is great for BitNile.com to be aligned with an Indy 500 Winner and an NTT IndyCar Series champion. I have followed Ryan’s career for years and I am confident he will challenge the entire ECR team to perform at higher levels. I wish everyone luck at Road America.”