Felipe Massa expects newcomer Brawn GP to be Ferrari’s biggest challenger in the Formula One season — not McLaren.
Brawn GP, the former Honda team, impressed in offseason testing ahead of the opening race in Australia this weekend, while McLaren appeared to struggle with the new regulation changes for this year.
“Looking at the latest test sessions, for sure Brawn GP is the main opponent,” Massa said on Monday before heading to Australia. “We saw Brawn GP rising from the ashes, running a second faster than everyone else.’’
Brawn GP, owned by former Honda team principal Ross Brawn, began testing later than most teams but became the biggest surprise on the track. The team seemed the most adjusted to the new changes, which include the reintroduction of slick tires, the addition of the KERS energy system and drastic aerodynamic modifications.
Massa reiterated that he was surprised by the apparent problems of McLaren, which won last year’s drivers’ title with Lewis Hamilton.
“A lot of people say that the tests are not as important as a race weekend, which is true, but when you are always running behind it shows that you are not doing well,” Massa said.
The Brazilian finished one point behind Hamilton last year, losing the title at his home track of Interlagos after the Briton made a final-turn pass over Toyota’s Timo Glock for fifth place.
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