Official: Felipe Massa leaves Ferrari

Official announcements will come one after another like pearls, and the first of them is only the logical consequence of the one that should follow tomorrow: Felipe Massa is leaving Scuderia Ferrari. The announcement was made in the early evening on Instagram by the Brazilian himself.

« From 2014 onwards, I will no longer drive for Ferrari. I would like to thank the team for all the victories and the incredible moments spent together. Thanks also to my wife and all my family, to my fans and my sponsors. I have always received great support from each of you! I now wish to push as much as possible with Ferrari for the remaining 7 races. For next year, I want to find a team that can give me a competitive car to win even more races and fight for the Championship which remains my biggest goal! Thank you all. Felipe »

Massa therefore leaves the Maranello team after eight seasons as a main driver, starting alongside the seven-time German world champion, Michael Schumacher, in 2006 for what would be the last season of the Kaiser, where he seriously fulfilled his role as lieutenant. Subsequently, from 2007, he teamed up with Kimi Räikkönen – who is expected to replace him next season – once again acting as a supporting partner, witnessing the Finnish driver’s crowning victory during the Brazilian round. 2008 would be the Paulista’s standout season: he fought for the world championship title until the final meters of the Brazilian Grand Prix, which he won, yet had to see the title slip away to Lewis Hamilton.

The 2009 season will be promising: behind the wheel of a car made complicated by regulatory changes, he will appear more at ease than Räikkönen, who is completely overshadowed. But this season will come to a dramatic end when, during the qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, Felipe Massa will be hit directly on the helmet by the spring from Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn GP. Seriously injured, he will nearly lose his sight but will nevertheless vow to return to the highest level.

This was accomplished in 2010, but in the meantime, the Scuderia pushed Räikkönen out to place Fernando Alonso in his seat. Initially dominated in the early season, Massa showed promise at the German Grand Prix, which he led before having to let the Spaniard pass, one year to the day after the serious accident that had struck him. From then on, he was definitively relegated to the role of number 2 driver, and his performances, deemed inconsistent, constantly threatened his position within the team.

Felipe Massa achieved 15 pole positions, 11 victories, and 36 podiums at the wheel of the prancing horse’s single-seaters.