F1
Lewis Larkam 7y

Felipe Massa using lessons from mentor Michael Schumacher to teach Lance Stroll

Formula 1, AutoRacing

Felipe Massa says his relationship with Williams teammate Lance Stroll reminds him of the guidance he received from Michael Schumacher during his spell alongside the seven-time world champion at Ferrari.

Massa, who completed a retirement U-turn in order to return to Williams in 2017, revealed his rookie teammate Stroll has asked him for advice at times in his debut Formula One campaign. The 18-year-old has completed just 52 racing laps in what has been an unlucky start to the season and Massa says he is more than happy to offer out a helping hand.

"Sometimes you see that, for example, maybe in one corner he's doing something where he's losing lap time there and then he's just asking, and I'm saying 'you should do it like this, like that', so yeah, no problem.

"I had a good relationship with Valtteri [Bottas] and he grew up massively, also when we started to work together as well. It was never really a problem to pass the information, also getting the information. But maybe I'm doing it more with him [Stroll] because he needed more than maybe another driver."

Having spent a year as test driver for Ferrari in 2003, Massa later partnered Schumacher in the German's final year at Ferrari in 2006. Massa admitted he would regularly try to gain as much information from Schumacher as possible, who he looked up to as his "teacher".

"I was asking more than what he was giving. But he was giving a lot. For sure when I was in front he was not one hundred percent happy. I was asking a lot because I always look at Michael as a teacher, as a master, and was not afraid to ask and say what are you doing here, what are you doing there. I was asking everything I could for him and he was telling me. But sometimes I need to ask, he would not tell for free."

When asked if he sees similarities between his relationship with Stroll and his former teammate Schumacher, Massa replied: "Yeah I think so. I think I am passing to Lance a little bit easier than Michael was to me."

Massa will start Sunday's Russian Grand Prix from sixth, after sealing his third Q3 appearance of the year, while Stroll lines up 11th following Carlos Sainz's grid penalty for the pair's Bahrain collision.

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