The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Massa to retire from F1 at end of season
Felipe Massa has announced he will retire from Formula One at the end of the season.
The 35-year-old Brazilian broke the news at a press conference ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.
Massa began his grand prix career in 2002 with Sauber before he moved to Ferrari in 2006 and latterly Williams.
Massa missed out on the championship to Lewis Hamilton by one point in 2008 at the final race of the season in his native Brazil.
“I managed to achieve many of my dreams and I am very proud of my career,” an emotional Massa said.
Massa, who won 11 times in a career which will yield 250 starts, survived a serious accident during qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2009.
The Brazilian was struck on the crash helmet by a spring which came off Rubens Barrichello’s car.
He suffered a fractured skull in the freak incident but returned for the season-opening race in Bahrain the following year, where he finished second.
Massa also achieved 16 pole positions and 41 podiums.
He moved to Williams in 2014 after eight seasons with Ferrari.
“It is a very sad and emotional day, and it is a big decision he has come to,” said deputy team principal Claire Williams.
Massa said his plans for next year were unclear.
His departure from Williams does free up a vacancy for 2017, with Jenson Button, out of contract with McLaren at the end of the season, courted by the British team.
At this stage it remains unclear whether the 2009 world champion will leave McLaren, or indeed wish to extend his grand prix career into an 18th campaign.