Felipe Massa to retire from F1 after 2017 season

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by RWill2073

Massa sure wasn't liked aroind f1....


http://m.bbc.com/sport/formula1/37970529

And it was that love of Massa that brought him back. 'I was touched by the response from so many fans who wanted to see me back in the sport'

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/features/2017/1/massa-and-the-four-other-race-winners-who-came-out-of-retirement.html

[Greem]

The thing about Massa that set him apart from lots of other drivers wasn't that he had more hunger to win or that he was more ruthless, or that he didn't really care about anyone else, or that he was one of the greats, a talent apart, or in fact that he shone more brilliantly than others in terms of 'natural talent'.

What set him apart was that he was quick (hey, he was in F1 after all), he was the perfect team player - to his own misfortune at times, and he carried himself with tremendous dignity most of the time, even when we could see his inner fury at a situation.

(I may have said something similar before)

Above all, he seems like a jolly nice bloke. No wonder he's popular.

I think F1 as a whole will be worse off without him, tbh.

[S griffin]

He’s always been one for the fans, I was very pleased to get his (and Smedley’s) autograph at the 2016 AI

[RWill2073]

Originally Posted by Greem

The thing about Massa that set him apart from lots of other drivers wasn't that he had more hunger to win or that he was more ruthless, or that he didn't really care about anyone else, or that he was one of the greats, a talent apart, or in fact that he shone more brilliantly than others in terms of 'natural talent'.

What set him apart was that he was quick (hey, he was in F1 after all), he was the perfect team player - to his own misfortune at times, and he carried himself with tremendous dignity most of the time, even when we could see his inner fury at a situation.

(I may have said something similar before)

Above all, he seems like a jolly nice bloke. No wonder he's popular.

I think F1 as a whole will be worse off without him, tbh.

Well said. I can't think of a better way to view him than this. He basically is a world champion, just without the title to show for it. Of course it seems he lost a step after his accident, but that's understandable. I don't think he was ever one of the top 3 or so in the series, but was good enough to be up there with them. I remember an article in a racer magazine that compared the top 6 in the series at the time, and he came off as the weakest of those 6, mostly because it said he was weaker in wet conditions and lacked the natural ability to wring the most out of any setup like a Hamilton, but that shouldn't really be a knock against him. He was good enough to be a champ in the right circumstances.

I won't miss him necessarlily, because he has been mired in the midfield on a middling team of late, just as I wouldn't really miss Perez (except for teammate fireworks), grosjean, hulkenberg, and a few others. But I respect the really good career he has had and the fact that he seems to be well respected and well liked.

[Richard C]

I have always liked Massa. I wish him well. But I am only a fan of the sport. I am clearly unqualified to have an opinion.

Richard

[loon]

In my book being a decent person always trumps driving ability and therefore in my opinion Felipe is truly a champion

[Akrapovic]

Massas a lovely guy. The entire F1 paddock clearly loved him - I don't remember such emotion for any other driver retiring. I think anyone who seems to have this impression that Massa was disliked needs to have a quick look back at very recent history.

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by steve_r

After he was within one corner of winning the WDC in 2008, I assumed that he would become WDC one day - or at least would have another chance or two. His performances in that year were really excellent.

I did not realise until I just checked that his win at that race in Brazil in 2008 was his last in F1. A few months later he was lucky to be alive after that accident. I guess we will never know if that had any affect on his driving.

I think the time is right for him to move on.

I thought he was lucky to come so close in 2008. I didn’t think of him as championship material. This was before his accident. I can’t really tell if he accident had a long term effect on him.

He was a decent driver, but just not top draw like Schumacher or Alonso, but then few rarely are. He was a likeable fellow who certainly showed his emotion. It’s probably time to move and and I suspect he’ll continue to enjoy his racing. Which more than makes him a winner.

[Mekola]

Well, Massa then will retire. Probably a future in FE and Brazilian Stock Cars.
Who will replace him? Pedro Piquet is in good terms with Lance, probably he could be at least as reserve driver next year.

[S griffin]

I think going to Williams was the best thing he could do. Like when DC went to RBR, he used his experience to the best effect and helped Williams greatly

[wnut]

Originally Posted by S griffin

I think going to Williams was the best thing he could do. Like when DC went to RBR, he used his experience to the best effect and helped Williams greatly

I think you are right, and I also think that Williams and Stroll are going to deeply regret dumping Massa and appointing any of the three candidates touted for Massa's place.

Williams seem to continuously shoot themselves in the foot with their driver selections.

[S griffin]

IDK, if Kubica is still as good as before, who knows?

[F1Guy]

Originally Posted by S griffin

IDK, if Kubica is still as good as before, who knows?

True. As much as I'd like to see Kubica get the Williams seat, I don't think he's the same driver he was pre 2010. I hope I'm wrong on that though. Would love to see him on the podium at some stage in 2018 if he get's the drive.

But I reckon Kubica - with his injuries and all, would still be a better driver than Massa.

[Skam85]

Hard not to be even a little moved/grown man crying when Felipe's little boy was on the radio at the end to him.

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by Skam85

Hard not to be even a little moved/grown man crying when Felipe's little boy was on the radio at the end to him.

yeah that was a very touching moment and kudos to the organizers/FOM for getting Massa and Barri on the podium to share some words and thoughts with the fans.

random thought though...is it really that hard in this day and age to provide for a translation in real time...whether it be translating the English Q&A into Portuguese for the local fans or vice versa for the TV audience at home?

not suggesting a voice over but a translation caption on the jumbotron (a little bit harder to do that in real time admittedly) and also for the TV broadcast (which could be easily done with a 30sec tape delay).

[S griffin]

I am glad he gets a better result than he did last season at his final home GP and he certainly seemed to fired up and enjoyed it. I'm pleased for him

[wnut]

"Stroll needs a slower teammate!" Jaques Villeneuve



https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/s...eneuve-978952/

Stage 1 - Fire Massa.

Stage 2 - Employ .........

Has anybody grilled Paddy yet?

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/13...anges-for-2018

[S griffin]

I don't know how having a slower team mate will help, surely a faster one helps him match that

[loon]

Originally Posted by S griffin

I don't know how having a slower team mate will help, surely a faster one helps him match that

Perhaps slower the teammate larger the bag of cash from daddy Stroll

[wnut]

Originally Posted by loon

Perhaps slower the teammate larger the bag of cash from daddy Stroll

I don't get the slower team mate either, and I think that Williams fundamentally have lost the art of developing a fast car, they constantly harp on about their lack of budget and get caught in the pay driver market.

Force India however seem to be able to avoid this trap and continuously outperform their budget limits.

Really thought that Paddy Lowe would have put an end to the pay driver nonsense. Hopefully they find someone worth the seat, not any of the three they have touted so far.

[RWill2073]

I would imagine the need for a driver slower than stroll is to not show up the amazing talent daddy stroll thinks he's created. Don't want to embarrass the hand that feeds the team either.

[Skam85]

The thing is, Stroll has shown himself to be a decent driver in his rookie season, against all predictions. Once he closes the gap between his best and worst he will be a more rounded driver. He doesn't actually need someone that is 'slower' than him.

[steve_r]

Anything that JV says needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. In fact, I think he might be on the wind up most the time. What he said this time makes no sense whatsoever.

For a rookie, Stroll has done OK. Yes, his Brazil race was disaster, and his early season form was patchy, but he has done well in a number of races. Still only a kid remember.

[Mekola]

Yep, Stroll has done OK this season, and better than expected. The proposal to lining Pedro Piquet with him is, partly, to make a good ambiance since both drivers are in good terms since their F3 days... And that could help Williams team economically, mostly considering the situation of several F1 teams nowadays.

[wnut]

Making excuses for lousy driver selections up front?

Felipe Massa a 'remarkable' reference for Williams F1 team in 2017

http://classic.autosport.com/news/re...ce=mostpopular