Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso have denied that there is a rift between them after Alonso cheekily overtook Massa in the entry to the pitlane during the Chinese Grand Prix.
The pair have been at pains to deny that the move worsened a relationship that has always been feisty, their “previous” being a coming-together at the Nurburgring in 2007 and heated verbal exchanges afterwards.
“As it happens quite often, there’s always someone who wants to create some confusion,” Massa told Ferrari’s official website.
“I already explained after the race what happened and I think it’s useless doing it again, but obviously there’s someone who doesn’t want to understand.
“If I’ve spoken to Fernando? Sure, just like we talk to each other every day when we’re on the track. We both know very well what Ferrari wants from us drivers and what we have to do on the track,” he added.
Alonso was also quick to refute the idea that his overtake had created disunity within Ferrari.
“I already said it in Shanghai: this episode is creating a stir just because it happened between two team-mates,” he said. “If the other car [had been] green or grey, we’d all be celebrating this manoeuvre, but instead we’re just losing time with polemics, where there is nothing to say.”
“Felipe and I are racing and we know that the team’s interest is the most important thing. We know how to behave and we’ve shown it on other occasions during these first races.
“It’s definitely not the duels on the track, creating problems inside the team and I know this by experience. If someone wants to make a fuss, it definitely won’t ruin the spirit of Ferrari.”
