Mika Salo has admitted to his surprise that Ferrari have opted to persist with Felipe Massa for 2012.
The Finn, himself a former Scuderia driver, sees Massa as well behind team ‘number one’ Fernando Alonso, and believes his former team should have given the Spaniard a new partner this year, rather than honouring Brazilian Massa’s deal.
"I don't think Massa will be staying after this season," former Sauber and Toyota driver Salo, who drove for Ferrari for a time when Michael Schumacher broke a leg in 1999, told Finnish broadcaster MTV3.
"I was surprised that he was allowed to continue this year.”
Salo added that there is a clear hierarchy of drivers at his old team, something he feels they have in common with Red Bull where he believes double world champion Sebastian Vettel rules the roost over veteran Australian Mark Webber.
Salo added: "If McLaren has a good car then the drivers will be taking points off one another - that's not something that will happen in the other teams.
"On the track, (Lewis) Hamilton is the fastest but not quite as smart as (Jenson) Button in the races."