Brazilian ace and Formula One driver Felipe Massa is going to leave his current team Ferrari and drive for Williams from next season, reports have confirmed. This announcement came from Williams, who also mentioned that Massa is going to step in the shoes of Venezuelan driver Pastor Maldonado. According to sources, it was widely expected that Massa would join another team as his current employers, Ferrari, announced that they are going to replace him with Kimi Raikonnen, who will partner Spain's Fernando Alonso from next year. A lot of reasons have been cited for Massa's departure from Ferrari. However, the main reason that is coming through reports is that the Italian team were frustrated with the performance of the Brazilian, who has had an underwhelming season so far. Strangely, after Ferrari announced Massa's departure, the celebrated racer was quite impressive.
Reportedly, Williams are really excited to have Massa on their team and feel that it could be a major boost to their prospects. Things have not been good for British team as till now, they have been able to secure only a solitary championship point this season. Claire Williams, the Team Principal, was quoted as saying, "Felipe has demonstrated his talent and speed over the years, as well as his ability to motivate and drive a team to championship success."
As far as the man Massa is replacing is concerned, Pastor Maldonado could go to one of three four options. The most logical choice would be Lotus, where he would replace Kimi Raikonnen, who, in turn, would join Ferrari. However, there are possibilities that the driver from Venezuela could also sign for Sauber or Force India. Massa, on his part, has claimed that he is really excited to be a part of the Williams team and feels that he can contribute to their cause. He is going to partner Valtteri Bottas, who, according to sources, is excited to work with the Brazilian. In a recent interview, following his signing up with the new team, he spoke about how he always wanted to be a driver for Williams.
"Williams is one of the most successful and important teams of all time in Formula One. When I was a kid, I always dreamed about racing for Williams, Ferrari or McLaren and I'm glad to be signing with another icon of the sport following my time at Ferrari. It is also nice to remember that some of the best Brazilian drivers raced for Williams and cemented a strong national link with the team", he was quoted as saying. At present, Felipe Massa is one of the most experienced drivers on the Formula One circuit. A lot of experts consider him to be highly underrated and underachieving, claiming that his talent and abilities are not reflected in statistics.
Massa also spoke about how changes in rules are going to help the team's cause. "With such a major change of regulations in 2014, I hope my experience will be useful in helping the team in its effort to move on from a difficult period. It is a team to fight for the championships and good results and I really want to be a part of it. I understand what they are doing to get stronger. I think we can be very successful and I believe it is the best choice compared to the other choices I had.”
Although Massa, till now, has a career filled with incidents, there are some that are still etched in minds of fans. The 2008 Formula One season could easily be termed as Massa's happiest and saddest at the same time. Grabbing six pole positions and the same number of wins, he was on course to win the title but eventually lost by a point. Massa could have had his dream come true in front of his home crowd but it was not to be as Britain's Lewis Hamilton took home the title by a single point. Coming to 2009, Massa suffered from a huge setback, meeting with an accident at the Hungarian Grand Prix, causing an injury that almost ended his career. Doctors at the Budapest hospital said that it was a life threatening accident but luckily Massa was safe.
