Felipe Massa may have kept his seat at Ferrari for economic reasons. That'sthe view of Keke Rosberg, 1982 World champion and father of Mercedes F1 driver Nico.
Massa had a contract for 2012 but at the end of 2009, when Kimi Raikkonen was replaced by Fernando Alonso, Ferrari showed it was not afraid to pay handsomely to end a bad deal.
So, is Rosberg also surprised that Massa is still Alonso's team mate?
POOR PERFORMANCE
Rosberg said: "I think that's been influenced by the fact that they burned quite a lot of money with Kimi.
"They could have again paid off the guy with the contract and taken someone else but at some point you have to be economically mindful - you can't always go for the most expensive option."
Mika Salo, a former Ferrari driver, told MTV3 last week he was "surprised" that Brazilian Massa kept his seat for 2012 after two poor seasons.
Massa had a contract for 2012 but at the end of 2009, when Kimi Raikkonen was replaced by Fernando Alonso, Ferrari showed it was not afraid to pay handsomely to end a bad deal.
So, is Rosberg also surprised that Massa is still Alonso's team mate?
POOR PERFORMANCE
Rosberg said: "I think that's been influenced by the fact that they burned quite a lot of money with Kimi.
"They could have again paid off the guy with the contract and taken someone else but at some point you have to be economically mindful - you can't always go for the most expensive option."
Mika Salo, a former Ferrari driver, told MTV3 last week he was "surprised" that Brazilian Massa kept his seat for 2012 after two poor seasons.