Phil won my eternal respect on the podium after losing the title to Lewis. The man showed a dignity rare in life, almost unheard of in F1.
I totally agree and he has continued to show both dignity and loyalty throughout his Ferrari career. Every driver out there believes he is capable of winning given the right car but to know race after race that the best you can hope for or be allowed is 2nd takes huge commitment. I personaly think Ferrari have treated him badly.......they should have told im privately that he was leaving and allowed him to find a new seat before it was announced to the press. I wish him well for next year but worry if there is now a seat worthy of his talent.
Massa is my favorite driver in F1. His team ruined his title chances in Singapore in 2008 when they left the fuel hose attached to his car when he was leading the race. The last race drama should never have enabled Hamilton to be champion. Yet I do not recall a single bad word from him that year. He probably ends his career with no championship to his name, a shame. Is he the best, no, but a sportsman in an occupation filled with prima Donnas who have killer instincts. He certainly does not "suck," and I suspect every poster here has nowhere near the talent to even make an F1 grid in a Red Bull car.
https://twitter.com/ValtteriBottas/status/399914999399071744 Valtteri Bottas twitter account; I'm happy to confirm that I will be racing with @WilliamsF1Team in 2014 with @Felipe1Massa as my team-mate! #F1
He will indeed be Bottas' team mate: his signing for Williams has been confirmed by Autosport this afternoon. Rgds
Congrats Massa. Certainly hope williams will be regular point scorers next year with both their drivers.
It will be interesting to see if the changes to the exhaust blown diffuser rules for 2014 make the Williams chassis a better competitor again. It will be more interesting to see if Massa gets a pole or a podium next year! I hope he does!
More interesting news to make next year very much worth watching. Congrats to Massa. I actually thought he would leave the sport.
Congrats to Massa for actually landing a seat for next year. It will be very interesting to see how he does against Bottas! I guess when Massa said he wasn't interested in driving for a back marker team, he really only meant Marrusia or Caterham?
That would mean Williams being among the top ten finishers next year. I cannot see it; Williams isn't among the 5 best teams anymore. Unless there is a complete change of fortune, Williams will stay pretty much were it is now.
Force India had Mercedes engine this year. Aerodynamics and the money thrown at them is the key to succes, not engine anymore...
I'd love to see Williams competitive again. I just question if they have the finances to get there. Having Massa could help improve the car. He can be very fast for 1 lap. His issue is staying strong for a race distance. Having Massa in will definitely add interest to 2014. Hoping for the best for Team and Driver...
When did Massa get fired? I seem to recall that Ferrari did not give him a new contract for 2014, but that's not the same as being fired!
Splitting hairs? Technically you are right though. Has been a while since a driver got fired. Senna II was perhaps the last one, can't remember.