Felipe Massa: An F1 career in pictures

A racer, a winner, a gentleman... Felipe Massa will be sorely missed when he retires from Formula 1. Check out the moments that defined his stellar career.

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On Nov 4, 2017
1

Felipe who?

It’s easy to forget Felipe Massa was a real unknown quantity when he was announced as Sauber’s new signing for the 2002 Formula 1 season. A year after Peter Sauber’s eye for a talent struck gold with Kimi Raikkonen, he’d introduce the sport to another name it would become familiar with. From Formula Renault to European Formula 3000 to F1 test to F1 deal, Massa may be one of the sport’s longest-serving racers now but he was remarkably inexperienced – in relative terms – when he secured his F1 contract.

2

Fast… but fragile

Paired with Nick Heidfeld - who had played a part in Sauber’s run to a best ever fourth overall in 2001 - Massa was well matched in terms of pure pace, if not consistency. Claiming a first points’ finish in only his second F1 start, though Massa only scored on three occasions at a time when only the top six were awarded points, every race he finished was inside the top ten. However, errors characterised his maiden campaign, a frequency that ultimately led Sauber to drop him for the United States Grand Prix following a suspension. Though he did return to complete the season with Sauber, he had already been frozen out of its 2003 driver line-up.

3

Taking a step back to take a leap forward

Despite losing favour with Sauber, Massa had still demonstrated enough raw speed to convince many of its F1 credentials once he had the benefit of experience. As such, Massa was snapped up by Ferrari to become its test driver for the 2003 season, seen by many as a long-term plan to hone him into a driver worthy of a Scuderia race seat. At a time before a ban on F1 testing was introduced, Massa received invaluable of behind-the-scenes seat time to hone his race craft and bolster his reputation.

4

Back and better than ever

Felipe returned to the F1 grid in 2004 with Sauber as a more complete driver, spending two more seasons with the Swiss team in only modestly competitive machinery. Change was afoot though so when countryman Rubens Barrichello announced he was leaving Ferrari at the end of the 2005 season, Felipe was immediately identified as his natural successor. And so it proved, Massa joining Michael Schumacher at the Scuderia and quickly proving his worth with a run to third overall, picking up his first wins in Turkey before becoming the first Brazilian to win on home soil at Interlagos since Ayrton Senna in 1993.

5

Champion… for 39 seconds

Even for the most hardened Lewis Hamilton fans, there was not a single person that wouldn’t have felt at least some sympathy for Felipe Massa as the Briton celebrated his 2007 F1 title win. A breakthrough season for Massa, though team-mate Kimi Raikkonen came into the year defending the title it was the Brazilian that would take the fight to Hamilton. Despite a poor start to the season, wins in Bahrain, Turkey, France, Valencia and Belgium set him up for a final round showdown seven points adrift of his main rival. Indeed, though the odds were with Hamilton, it seemed luck was on Massa’s side as he cruised to a stunning win in front of his adoring fans as his rival floundered in the on-off rain behind him. As he crossed the line he, Ferrari and his fans thought he had done enough, only for Hamilton 39 seconds down the road to snatch the fifth place he needed on the very final corner… cue jubilation at McLaren and despair in Ferrari. Though it would be the closest he’d ever get to an F1 world title, Massa was – and continues to be – applauded for his dignified reaction in such an unprecedented scenario. It is a legacy that has earned him pride of place in heart of many an F1 fan.

6

Escaping death

Serious accidents are mercifully few and far between in this day and age, but they do occur on occasion as Massa found to his cost during qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix when he was struck by an errant piece of debris kicked up by a car in front. A purely freak accident, Massa was knocked unconscious, with doctors describing his condition as life-threatening as he went under surgery around his left eye. After a week in hospital, Massa returned to Brazil but would not return to action for the remainder of the season.

7

'Fernando is faster than you'

Having returned to full fitness for 2010, Massa was joined at Ferrari by Fernand Alonso which altered the dynamic at the iconic Italian brand. With Ferrari hedging its bets by backing Alonso, the famous words ‘Fernando is faster than you’ by Massa’s race engineer Rob Smedley – a coded message to let Alonso pass – he went on to win the German Grand Prix with Massa in second. From that moment on, Massa would always play second fiddle to his team-mate, while team orders were once and for all banned in F1 as Ferrari were slapped with a $100,000 fine, and to date it would have been Massa’s final F1 race win.

8

Farewell to Ferrari, welcome at Williams

Three years at Ferrari followed with only a smattering of podiums, while in 2011 a bitter rival with Hamilton resurfaced with a number of on track clashes, a generally uncompetitive Ferrari restrained Massa to a difficult end to his time at the team. The Brazilian driver looked for a new challenge to revitalise his Formula 1 career after continually being applauded for his efforts at the red team but ultimately shunned. Two days after the 2013 Italian Grand Prix, Massa announced he would be leaving Ferrari after eight years in a race seat at the team and was swiftly replaced by Kimi Raikkonen.

9

A new lease of life

Two months after his Ferrari split announcement, it was revealed Massa would join Valtteri Bottas at Williams and despite a tricky start to his time at the Grove-based squad, a first podium arrived at Monza with the Tifosi greeting his third place with appreciation for their former hero. A second podium arrived back on home soil at Interlagos before finishing the season with second place in Abu Dhabi to give him his best finish to a season since 2011. A similar season in 2015 followed with podiums in Austria and again in Italy to play a vital role in helping Williams secure third in the F1 world constructors’ championship.

10

Retirement (1st attempt)

With Williams struggling to match the pace of its front-running rivals, Massa fought on diligently but at 35 and with a young family the Brazilian felt it was the right time to call an end to his F1 career at the end of 2016. An emotional announcement with his whole family present at Monza, Massa has enjoyed a farewell tour over the final eight races in 2016. No doubt a final iconic moment of Massa’s career will be back at Interlagos again when he crashed out of his final home race, only to receive a standing ovation from everyone at the circuit including Mercedes and Ferrari crews while the race was ongoing as he walked down the pitlane in floods of tears.

11

Guess who's back?

In one of the craziest off-seasons in F1 history, five days after clinching a maiden world title Nico Rosberg called it quits which sent the driver market into a spin. Williams released Valtteri Bottas to Mercedes for a cut-price engine deal while also luring Massa out of one of the shortest retirements in the sport. Massa lined up as lead driver alongside rookie Lance Stroll at Williams for 2017.

12

Retirement (2nd attempt)

After a relatively solid but unsuccessful 2017 campaign, Massa was informed his services would no longer be required for next season with Robert Kubica, Paul di Resta and others in the frame for a race seat next to Stroll.

13

What next?

A rest. Joining the F1 circus in 2002, Massa is looking forward to spending more time at home and with his family. But don’t write off the Brazilian just yet who is likely to return to the F1 paddock as part of the media troupe, plus a stint in Formula E as a potential future.

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