Felipe Massa rejects modern F1 era easy claims

Felipe Massa has hit out once again at the suggestion that driving Formula 1 cars in the modern era has become too easy.

The Brazilian veteran has raced across F1’s V10, V8 and now V6 eras, but he said that the challenge is simply “different” today rather than easier.

“Sure, it used to be physically tougher,” said Massa, 35. “We drove lighter cars and could refuel during the race – we were nearly always at the limit, like during the qualifying sessions. It was more tiring.

“Today’s races are more technical than physical. You need to take tyres into account. It is a different, less aggressive way of driving.

“But that’s a far cry from saying that today is easy.”