There
are less than two weeks to go until the Formula 1 World
Championship gets back on track, but Felipe Massa could
not resist the temptation of getting back behind the
wheel, at the Interlagos
circuit, of the Fiat Linea one-make racers from the
series that he promotes.The
opportunity arose with the advent of the fourth round of the
2012 Copa
Fiat, the new name given this year to what was
previously known as the
one-make Trofeo Linea Brasil. The series, which was the
brainchild of Massa and his family, is now in its third
season.
The Scuderia driver
was quickest in both free practice sessions held over the weekend and he was
able to assess the updates that have been introduced on the cars,
especially on the engine front, the suspension and
aerodynamics.
“A great job has been
done and the car is much improved, more stable and
easier to drive,” said Massa. “These characteristics
are a great help to drivers who, like me, come from
single-seaters.
“Having one set of tyres more than the others helped me
(Massa was entitled to this extra set as a guest driver) but I was not expecting to be quicker than
excellent and experienced drivers like Christian Fittipaldi, Cacŕ Bueno and André Bragantini, who are
leading the championship. I will enjoy the
races as a spectator and it will be a lot of fun!”
Massa set a fastest time of 1.51.411 in the first
session, over eight tenths quicker than Cesinha Bonilha
(1.52.257) and over a second faster than Andre
Bragantini (1.52.510.) In the second session, held in
hotter conditions, Massa did not improve (1.52.005) but
still got the better of Bragantini (1.52.306) and Caca
Bueno (1.52.410.)
