Felipe Massa received a
special message ahead of his hundredth grand prix this
weekend driving a
Ferrari which came from President, Luca di Montezemolo
in the form of a letter.
"This is an important
Grand Prix for you, not just because you will be racing
at home, in front of your fans," wrote Montezemolo. "It
will also be your one hundredth race with us, which is
an amazing journey that only very few drivers can claim
to have done before you. It is also coincides with the
end of your first ten years in Formula 1, all of which
have been powered by an engine built here in Maranello.
I am pleased that you chose to record this anniversary
with a special helmet design, featuring one hundred
prancing horses.
"These past ten years
have been very intensive. With us, you staked your claim
as a driver, winning eleven Grand Prix, and coming
within a whisker of taking an incredible world
championship crown, as well as making a significant
contribution to the Scuderia winning two Constructors’
World Championship titles. With us, you have grown as a
driver and as a man and you are part of our history.
"Where you are now in
Interlagos, you have experienced some great moments, but
also some very bitter ones. Today, you are on the eve of
the final grand prix of what has been a particularly
difficult season: let’s hope you can end it with a very
nice result!
"From Monday, all our
thoughts will be focussed solely on next year’s
championship, because we have had enough of this one. It
will be a crucial year, your seventh as a racing driver
for the Scuderia, because the objective is clear for all
to see and is so obvious, it’s not even worth repeating
here. I am sure that, first and foremost, you are keen
to answer your critics and prove them wrong and it falls
to us to provide you with the means to do that, by
giving you a winning car," concluded Montezemolo.
Massa is wearing a
special helmet for this special weekend. Designed by the
artist Jens Munser, based on instructions from Massa and
produced by Schuberth, a long time partner of the
Scuderia and the driver, the helmet features a chrome
and gold Prancing Horse, on which are mounted a further
one hundred small horses, one for each race contested at
the wheel of a Ferrari.
