A different sort of day for Massa

What was a F1 driver doing onboard a ship moored 120 km off the coast of Brazil? The driver in question was Felipe Massa and the ship was the FPSO Fluminense, with the acronym standing for Floating Production Storage and Offloading: in other words a type of platform used for collecting hydrocarbons extracted from 2 oilfields and then pumping it onto tankers which take it to shore.

It was an unusual place to find Felipe, but not all that strange given that this is where the crude oil comes from, which is then processed by Shell into the fuel and lubricants used in road cars and also the Ferrari Formula 1 cars.

“It was a very interesting experience,” said Massa. “It’s incredible to see how complicated is the extraction process and management of the crude oil on this ship. When I was at the control desk, it reminded me of looking at the telemetry from our cars when we are on track: every parameter can be studied in real time 24 hours a day.”

During the visit, which took place last Friday, Felipe met all the “inhabitants” of this floating artificial island, who gave him a very warm welcome: naturally there were many Brazilians in the crew, but also Americans, Filipinos and one Italian. They gave him a guided tour of the ship where he was able to see how much care and attention on the installation goes into fundamental aspects like safety and the environment. Over the past seven years, there has not been a single incident to interrupt its activity which has seen 140 offloads of hydrocarbons without any leaks. Furthermore, the pilot flame does not run continuously and CO2 emissions are reduced to a minimum.

“Safety in Formula 1 is a priority and I can see the same is true here,” added Felipe. “But that’s not the only thing it has in common with my world. Here too, teamwork is the key and each individual has to work in harmony with everyone else to get the job done as well as possible. They are together almost all the time for at least two weeks at a time and it’s vital that every member of the group feels responsible for what they do and is ready to help those around them. It’s the very same in a Formula 1 team.”

Before leaving the ship, Felipe also got onto the subject of Formula 1. “We are about to tackle an important race in Montreal, where Ferrari must try and be more competitive than we were in Turkey,” said the Brazilian driver. “On paper, the circuit should be better suited to the characteristics of the F10, but we will have to wait until Friday to see what the situation really is.”

The Brazilian’s stay in his homeland ends today, when Felipe leaves for Quito (Ecuador) where he will take part in an event for another Scuderia partner. Tomorrow, he heads for Montreal where he will find the team waiting for him, ready for the challenge of Formula 1’s return to Canada.