Once again Felipe Massa has made the announcement that he will be retiring from the world of Formula One, the news coming just days before what will be his last ever home event at the Interlagos Circuit in Brazil.
Speaking in the official FIA press conference on Thursday, Felipe explained how this is definitely the last time he will be racing Formula One in front of his home crowd, but that doesn't mean that he is planning on stopping racing altogetherโฆ
Felipe, here we are again, and once again we know this is a swansong. Do you mean it this time?
Yeah! Actually this is my second retirement race in Brazil, but this time it's the last one for sure in Formula One, so definitely really looking forward to another amazing feeling to race at home and really enjoying the track that I grew up at here for my last time in a Formula One car. So, really looking forward and really hope that we can have a nice race and a nice result to finish it off.
What's been the highlight of this bonus season for you in Formula One and how do you see the Williams team going forward from this point?
Not amazing highlights to be honest. So the way we started the season it was not the same way we finished the season. Definitely the car was more competitive at the beginning than at the end, so development-wise it was not great, I would say, this year. But I think I definitely enjoyed driving the car after all these rules were changed from last year to this year. I think it's a lot of fun to drive these cars, a lot more downforce, I definitely enjoyed it a lot. Unfortunately, I was a little bit unlucky in some races that I would have scored massive points but I couldn't, not because of my fault but because of some issues we had in the car. I expect maybe a season that would have been a little bit more competitive than how we were. But I definitely enjoy, having fun by driving the car. I'm happy that I've been able to take the best out of this car when I didn't have any problem. So it was a season that I definitely enjoyed. It would be nice to remember this season, I mean the way you drive this car, for my career some years in front, nice to come back and remember this way you are driving this car.
And the second part of the question about where the Williams team goes forward from here?
I think it's definitely important to change a little bit some ideas for the car, but I think that's the way Williams is doing for next year. So having a car that's a little bit more different โ the way they are developing the car, the way they are working the car โ so I really hope they can achieve that from next year to the future.
Felipe, your comment on how Lance has developed? He's been a bit like you were to Michael Schumacher when you were together.
Yeah, I think definitely the way he started until now he had a big development, which is pretty normal. In Formula One everything is different to every other category. You need to learn, you need to understand the car, you need to understand the tyres, when you need to make the perfect lap. Even if we have the sessions on Friday and then on Saturday morning, sometimes it's not enough because you're not having new tyres all the time, and then you get to qualifying , you have new tyres and straight away you need to do a very good lap time, otherwise Q1, especially the way you are fighting with three or four teams for a couple of tenths, if you don't do a lap time straight away maybe you can even not pass into Q2. So that shows the intense battle you have in Formula One. But I think the way he started, the way he is now, he's just learning and getting better and better and improving. Definitely he understood much quicker the way he needs to drive in the race, because he did many good races and the qualifying for sure is coming. He has a good teacher as well, soโฆ maybe next year he can qualify closer to another driver that he'll race.
Going on the farewell tour, what's your view on the future of Brazilian Formula One racing โย because it looks like we have a year without for the first time since 1969โฆ
Yeah. I really hope Formula One stays forever in Brazil. So definitely Brazil is a very important country for Formula One. So many titles, so many drivers, so many Brazilian drivers raced for Formula One since the start, so I really hope Interlagos stays for a very long time in Formula One and anything I can give to help, not racing any more, I can do, so definitely it is a very important race. It is true that we are suffering not an easy moment in Brazil, financially, but I think it's a very important event for Sรฃo Paulo, it's a very important event for Brazil Formula One and y'know, for me it's very difficult to answer โ but I really hope Brazil stays for a very long time in Formula One.
This will be your last GP at Brazil as an F1 driver. What is your best memory here in this track?
I think the best memory is my first victory, in 2006. It was like a dream come true for a Brazilian that was always dreaming to be in Formula One, especially in this track, then you get to Formula One and you manage to win. I won two races here, three pole positions, I think it's the track I've been more times in the podium. Soโฆ but I definitelyโฆ the victory here 2006, it was like a dream come true, that I will never forget. It was definitely the most incredible day that I had in my career, winning the home grand prix for the first time, 2006
I would like to know, in the future do you expect to drive in a different category, to compete in a different category โย and which one will it be?
Yes, definitely, it's part of my expectation to keep driving, to keep having fun on the track, so that's what I have been doing since I was eight years old, and that is my job since a long time as well. So, I think when you're driving and you're competing, you really feel the emotion of doing your job, or for enjoying yourself, so yes, definitely I really hope I can find the category that I have fun, like I had in Formula One for very long. So yeah, I will have enough time to think about it, to understand which is a good category to go, and then we will see.
How do you rate your career? You were very close to being a World Champion at one point; you come from a country with great tradition, how do you rate your career? An eight? A ten? How do you see it?
I think when youโฆ ten is when you win a championship or maybe even more than that, y'know? So yeah, I would say I had a very successful career. I have a career I thought I never would achieve, when I was a kid, so first of all, Formula One was a dream, and I managed to get to Formula One, I managed to win many races, I managed to fight for the championship until maybe the last metres, and yeah, maybe I was the driver who gets more close to the championship in the history, so I am very proud of my career. If it's seven, eight, nine, it doesn't matter. I am very proud for what I achieved, for what I did and I'm so happy for so many things that I learned, so many people that I met, and also really the most important thing is that people respect me and I think that's the most important thing: have a great relationship with most of the people that I work, and I pass even a few moments together. Definitely I'm so happy for what I achieved, and yeah, still many things to do in life but really finished with my head up, and I think that's the most important thing.
Will you do anything different for the public? Because last year after you finished the raceโฆ you didn't finish the race and walked through the pitlane and you could see the people closer. After the race, if you finish, you have anything to do different, maybe walk around the track? Go to the public to say โthank you'? Do you have anything in your mind for after the race?
Well, actually I really hope I can finish in a great position. That's that most important thing, that it didn't happen last year, so it happens, another thing that I will never forget. So I think the feeling that I have on the human side, after the race, last year it was something really I never thought I will feel that, I will have that in my career. So, I think what I had last year was definitely more than enough, and the only thing I'm looking forward to now is having a good race, having a good result and I never really planned everything, so if I do this, everything, y'know this will be natural, so we'll see what we invent to do after what I really hope is a good result.
