‘Respect from fans weigh more’
abu dhabi — Felipe Massa will be sorely missed in the Formula One circuit and not without a reason. He wears his emotions on his sleeves. And Thursday’s Press conference at the Yas Marina Circuit saw one more display of his love and respect for the sport, his fans and his country – Brazil.
“The first moment after I crashed, I wasn’t happy as I wanted to finish my last race at home, I had even prepared a Brazilian flag in corner one to do the lap, and I was so disappointed to finish like that,” he said recollecting the crash on lap 48 of his final Brazilian Grand Prix race two weeks ago.
But the moments that followed will always stay with him — the grandstand ovation and the pit lane send-off — rarely seen in the sport and that too in the middle of a race.
“It was an amazing feeling that’s impossible to describe. When I started to walk and talk with the grandstands, I had amazing feeling. I started to cry and couldn’t hold it. That walk I was doing was like forever. And then when I got to pit lane and I saw all the teams out I couldn’t believe as it was still the middle of the race. It was very emotional and a special feeling. I am thankful for everything I passed through and proud of my career,” the Williams driver said.
Will the kind of respect shown during Brazil GP weigh more than the trophies and titles?
“Definitely, that is what you represent on the human side. That’s really a lot bigger than a simple trophy. That represents a lot and the respect — how you are as a person, is very important for me. People don’t just look at you as a driver but they look at you as a person and that is important for me,” said the man who had 11 wins and 41 podium finishes.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be his 250th start. And Massa hopes the rule tweaks enforced from next year will liven up his golden years.
“I hope to see Formula 1 being more competitive, more than one team fighting for the championship, more drivers winning the races. That is what I hope to see when I am watching on television to see them fighting and not see just one guy or one team winning.”
One of the most loved faces in the circuit, Massa holds a record at the Yas Marina Circuit like none does. He is the only driver in this year’s grid to finish with points in every race.
On Sunday’s race, he said: “I am really looking to finish with a good result. I managed to finish second two years ago. It won’t be easy to get the same result but if you can take the best out of the car and do a good race then that is something that makes you happy.”
That just summed up the man. He isn’t competing only for points but is in pursuit of happiness.