MOTOR SPORT:FERNANDO ALONSO is adamant there will be no psychological war with new Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa. The latter appeared to stoke the fires on Wednesday by claiming Alonso was aware of the plot that culminated in Nelson Piquet Jnr deliberately crashing his Renault in last year's Singapore Grand Prix, helping the Spaniard to claim a remarkable victory.
“It was the team and Nelson, but Alonso was part of the problem,” Massa is quoted as saying by the Brazilian media. “He knew. We cannot know it, (but) of course he knew. Absolute certainty.”
Within hours a climbdown followed as he clarified his remarks via a statement on Ferrari’s website, although even then there was still an element of suspicion in his words. “What I’ve said is the outcome of a hunch I’ve had and is not based on any concrete evidence,” said Massa, who has previously stated he would have been world champion but for the crash.
“The FIA World Council announced there was no indication that Fernando may have been informed of what had happened and I respect this outcome. What is certain is that this episode will not mar in any way the relationship I’ll have with Fernando when we will be team-mates.”
Alonso, too, was keen to play down the prospect of another bitter internal feud as he experienced with Lewis Hamilton during his ill-fated season at McLaren in 2007. “There will be no psychological war,” said Alonso. “Maybe it was a misunderstanding with Felipe or the media, so it’s difficult to know what is true and what was said because later he said a different thing.
“It’s not very important for me. I’m not too worried. I made it clear to the World Council I had nothing to do with what happened in Singapore last year. It will not affect anything, me or the relationship. I think we will be great.”
Massa this week completed a successful test in a 2007 Ferrari as part of his rehabilitation following his accident in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix in July. Although a return to action this season has been dismissed, the 28-year-old will be in the paddock in Interlagos tomorrow ahead of Sunday’s grand prix when he will wave the chequered flag.
