Monza: Ferrari's options

Luca Badoer will not have proven, at Spa-Francorchamps, that he can compete with the best drivers on the grid. Formula 1. After two transparent races, the Italian driver is in the hot seat. However, one thing could allow him to save his seat for the Italian Grand Prix, in front of his home crowd at Monza. And his potential savior is called? Felipe Massa.

The Brazilian, recovering a month after his accident at the Hungarian Grand Prix, went to Miami to take exams to judge his ability to return to competition within a few weeks. Felipe Massa will be examined there by the doctor who took care of Cristiano da Matta, a driver who was seriously injured in 2006 during a ChampCar event. If the verdict is positive, the Brazilian could return to competition at the Singapore Grand Prix. So, only the Italian Grand Prix would pose a problem. There Team is ready to leave Luca Badoer in the F60 seat for this race, if she has the assurance of recovering Felipe Massa in Singapore.

If this is not the case, Ferrari finds itself faced with a thorny problem: keeping an uncompetitive driver or replacing him with another for five races. Fernando Alonso, who is due to join Ferrari in 2010, could be this driver, which would allow the Spaniard to acclimatize to his new team before the next season. But Flavio Briatore does not want to let go of his double world champion before the end of the season, despite the great desire displayed by Fernando Alonso to join the Scuderia as quickly as possible. The events of the Spa-Francorchamps race undoubtedly did not further motivate the native of Oviedo to continue his efforts in an R29 that he cannot drive to victory. Thus, an early departure to Ferrari would have been the ideal solution but the contract linking the Spaniard to Renault, and the lack of a credible replacement following his departure from the diamond firm, condemn this possibility.

The most credible option, in the event of the unavailability of Massa and Alonso, leads to the track of Giancarlo Fisichella. The Force India driver, sparkling at Spa, benefits from the respect of the Italian public and his good relationships in the paddock. Despite everything, "Fisico" would prefer to drive the "small" Force India, a car he knows very well, to the top, rather than fill the lack of talented drivers within the Scuderia. The latter will speak about her choices on Wednesday. But, in this imbroglio, Ferrari is not in a position of strength, depending on the advice of a doctor (Massa) and the goodwill of team bosses (Fisichella, Alonso).