Photo: Felipe Massa on Facebook
One of the most talented and controversial drivers the king motorsport has seen in the 21st century has just announced that 2016 will be his final season in Formula 1. After plenty of thinking, Felipe Massa decided that the time is right to retire.
The news was broken by Massa on Facebook on the first day of autumn, the season of change according to an old Taoist proverb. Happily for Felipe, the Brazilian is looking forward to what’s next with the calm repose of autumn.
“After 27 years of career, 15 in Formula 1, I would like to say that this is my last season of Formula 1,” declared the 35-year-old driver. The thing is, it’d be foolish to put the pensioner label on Massa. As per the ex-Scuderia Ferrari numero due, “there are many things to happen from now on.”
24 Hours of Le Mans? IndyCar? Possibilities abound and, for what it’s worth, Felipe Massa has plenty to prove in his not-exactly-old age. Nelson Piquet, for example, jumped on the Indianapolis 500 bandwagon right after he announced that he’s retiring from Formula 1. Emerson Fittipaldi, on the other hand, reorientated towards CART. Rubens Barrichello, another Brazilian with a marvelous career in F1, had tried his luck in IndyCar and Stock Car Brasil.
Up until now (September 1st, 2016), Felipe Massa can pride himself on the following Formula 1 statistics: 11 wins out of a total of 41 podiums, 15 fastest laps, 16 pole positions, and a career total of 1,110 points. The question is, why did Massa choose Monza to announce his leave from Formula 1 racing?
While Michael Schumacher was celebrating his easy win of the 2006 Italian GP, Scuderia Ferrari was preparing to release a statement according to which the greatest Formula 1 driver of them all would retire at the end of the 2006 season, only to return a few years later to Mercedes GP. Being a big Schumi fan, Massa thought that Monza is the best place to announce his retirement.
Thrills, spills, “Fernando is faster than you!” episode and all, Massa will forever be heralded as one of the most down-to-earth drivers there have ever been in motorsport. On behalf of autoevolution, good luck and Godspeed, Felipe!
“After 27 years of career, 15 in Formula 1, I would like to say that this is my last season of Formula 1,” declared the 35-year-old driver. The thing is, it’d be foolish to put the pensioner label on Massa. As per the ex-Scuderia Ferrari numero due, “there are many things to happen from now on.”
24 Hours of Le Mans? IndyCar? Possibilities abound and, for what it’s worth, Felipe Massa has plenty to prove in his not-exactly-old age. Nelson Piquet, for example, jumped on the Indianapolis 500 bandwagon right after he announced that he’s retiring from Formula 1. Emerson Fittipaldi, on the other hand, reorientated towards CART. Rubens Barrichello, another Brazilian with a marvelous career in F1, had tried his luck in IndyCar and Stock Car Brasil.
Up until now (September 1st, 2016), Felipe Massa can pride himself on the following Formula 1 statistics: 11 wins out of a total of 41 podiums, 15 fastest laps, 16 pole positions, and a career total of 1,110 points. The question is, why did Massa choose Monza to announce his leave from Formula 1 racing?
While Michael Schumacher was celebrating his easy win of the 2006 Italian GP, Scuderia Ferrari was preparing to release a statement according to which the greatest Formula 1 driver of them all would retire at the end of the 2006 season, only to return a few years later to Mercedes GP. Being a big Schumi fan, Massa thought that Monza is the best place to announce his retirement.
Thrills, spills, “Fernando is faster than you!” episode and all, Massa will forever be heralded as one of the most down-to-earth drivers there have ever been in motorsport. On behalf of autoevolution, good luck and Godspeed, Felipe!
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