Hamilton tells nemesis Massa to ‘be a man’

Lewis Hamilton has urged Felipe Massa to “be a man” and meet him halfway in ending their on and off-track feud.
The 2008 championship rivals have clashed so many times in 2011 that one betting agency is offering 5-1 odds on another coming-together this weekend in Abu Dhabi.

Asked by reporters if he likes those odds, Brazilian Massa said on Thursday: “I don’t think so, and anyway I will do everything right, which is what I’ve done all the time.”

Briton Hamilton, however, admitting he hasn’t “particularly enjoyed” Massa’s attitude of late, said the blame game needs to stop.

“We’ve had our collisions on the track, but I really don’t have any problems with him,” the McLaren driver said.

“I would like to clear the air, but we have to meet in the middle, it can’t just come from one side.

“If you want to be a man about it, then be a man about it and sort it out. I’m a reasonable person so I’m happy to squash things,” added Hamilton.

At the same time, and oddly, Hamilton’s relationship with his 2007 nemesis Fernando Alonso has never been better.

The Spaniard, who is Massa’s Ferrari teammate, recently admitted he thinks Hamilton is one of very few F1 drivers who can win races even without the best car.

“I am honoured that Fernando is so positive about my qualities, despite this season and the differences that we had,” Hamilton is quoted by F1′s official website.

“Our relationship has got a lot stronger and the respect that we have for each other is much stronger.”

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