Massa to retire from Formula 1

The retirement of Massa, who finished runner-up to Lewis Hamilton in the world championship in 2008, leaves an opening at the Grove team that could now be filled by Button.

Massa recovered from a serious head injury in 2009 when he was hit by a spring during the Hungarian Grand Prix.

“I’ve race with Felipe since he started in F1, so about 15 years we’ve been racing together”, Button said.

Esteban Gutierrez and Carlos Sainz confirmed too that Massa had assisted them personally before they even got to F1. Williams signed him for 2014 where he rejoined forces with long-time race engineer Rob Smedley and enjoyed a return to form with three podiums during the course of the season.

“The only way for me to stay was for him to stop”, Massa said.

Massa can look back on that season as the year that his career reached its zenith.

“I respect him as a person, as a driver”. He’s achieved a lot. “Thank you God for giving me the opportunities I have had in life and, above all, for protecting me”. Williams needed a driver with top-team experience to help drag it out of a competitive slump; Massa needed a place to rebuild his reputation after a tough end to his stint at Ferrari.

Massa, an 11-time race victor, made his F1 debut with Sauber back in 2002.

By then, Massa had moved to Williams for what proved an almost-golden twilight to his career. The talented young driver then had the option to move to Europe to participate in Formula Renault in 2000 and won the title along with the European championship.

FILE – In this Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012 file photo, second placed Ferrari driver Felipe Massa of Brazil smiles during a press conference following the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Japan.

“It’s a very sad, emotional day”, said Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams. But Robert Kubica was unable to hold off Massa on the start, and the Brazilian was leading the grand prix by the time the pack had made it around the first corner. I think I was 10-11 years old. “We were a team in dire straights”. “This is a big decision Felipe has come to and he was terribly nervous before he came out here”. He says he made a decision to stop “a few months ago”, even though those closest to him were urging him to continue.