Beat Zehnder, the sporting director of Alfa Romeo F1, reflects on the start of his career “disastrous” of Felipe Massa in Formula 1 in 2002.
Despite fifth place as the best race result, Sauber was unconvinced by the Brazilian and decided not to keep him after 2002.
But rather than evoking a lack of speed, Zehnder evokes an attitude problem with Massa, who was a “child who refused to learn. »
But, after a year on the sidelines at Ferrari in 2003, he returned to Sauber in 2004 and was then a « different driver » and an « different person. » Teammate of Giancarlo Fisichella that year, he was then associated with Jacques Villeneuve in 2005.
Asked by the podcast Beyond the Grid, Zehnder revealed who Massa or Villeneuve was faster: « In the end it was Felipe, he was young and promising. »
« We had some problems with him in 2002, it was a disaster. He was a child who refused to learn and to accept the advice of the team. So he had to leave Clean. »
« In 2003 he was at Ferrari alongside Michael Schumacher and did a lot of testing. When he came back to us he was a different person, a different driver. And he was almost. Felipe was fast and consistent. »
Villeneuve always needed to be pushed during a race
If Villeneuve was much more experienced than Massa and he had a world title to his name, Zehnder nevertheless explains that it was the Canadian who needed the most support to achieve optimal performance.
« Jacques, and it was a little weird for me, needed motivation, he needed to be pushed during a race. The engineer was telling him ‘you have to push more, you have to brake later at turn 1’. «
« You’re still coaching these days, but the amount Jacques needed was very special. »
When Sauber managed to sign Villeneuve, it was an incredible opportunity for the Swiss team to attract media attention to them.
And if the Canadian sometimes had the reputation of being a diva, Zehnder affirms that this was not the case at all, placing the blame instead on his entourage at the time.
“First of all, it was amazing for us to be able to sign a world champion. It was quite a story at the time to see that at Sauber.
« Then I remember the commotion there was all around him: his manager and his physio were telling me ‘he needs so much space in his room, he needs a bed… ‘ and I would say ‘we don’t build the team around a driver, it’s up to him to accept what he receives’, because at Sauber, all drivers have always been treated the same way. «
« So if Felipe Massa gets a three by three meter room, Jacques will get the same thing and not a six by six meter room. And all the fuss his manager was making…when we got to Melbourne, he I would say ‘Jacques will never accept such a small and drab room’, and I would reply ‘that’s what he will get, period’. »
« And there was not the slightest problem with him. He was easy to deal with, all the rumors that he was a diva were absolutely not true. It was great to work with him. We lived from good times. »
Raikkonen should be three-time F1 world champion
Regarding the fastest driver he has worked with, Zehnder chooses neither Massa nor Villeneuve, but Kimi Raïkkönen.
« It was Kimi. In terms of talent, it was definitely Kimi. »
« And now a lot of people are saying that if he had taken it more seriously, he could have won multiple world championships. »
« I think with what happened to him in 2003, where he lost the title by two points, and in 2005, where he had too many mechanical retirements, he should be a three-time world champion. Kimi had pure talent. «
