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Formula 1

Felipe Massa calls time on Formula 1 career

Felipe Massa began the countdown on Thursday to the end of his time on the Formula 1 circuit when he announced that he would retire when the 2016 season finished.

Felipe Massa has spent 15 years on the Formula 1 circuit.
Felipe Massa has spent 15 years on the Formula 1 circuit. Reuters/Max Rossi
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The 35-year-old started his Grand Prix career in 2002 at the Sauber stable before switching to Ferrari and finally Williams.

Preparing for Sunday's Italian Grand Prix at Monza, the Brazilian could not contain his emotions in front of a packed news conference. "I'm more nervous now than for all my race starts," he said.

"After 27 years of my racing career, since I started karting and with 15 years in F1, this will be my last season. Life gives us so many choices. I think for me it has got to the time where I have to go and do something different."

Should the finale continue without hitches, Massa's last race in Abu Dhabi will be his 250th Grand Prix.

"Maybe you will see me again at the wheel of a race car. But at the moment the only certainty I have is that I will have a lot of time to decide on what I do in the future," he  added.

Massa won of 11 Grands Prix and was second during the 2008 season. He was pipped to the title in the dying seconds of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix by Lewis Hamilton.

The following year he suffered a serious injury to his head when he was hit by a spring during the Hungarian Grand Prix.

He was out for the rest of the season and returned for the 2010 campaign.

Massa said: "I'm so proud to have been part of this Williams team. We had a difficult moment and then we managed to get amazing results in the last two championships."

Paying tribute, Williams's deputy team principal, Claire Williams, said: "This is a very sad and emotional day. Felipe is what we love at Williams: a true gentleman. We were so lucky he joined us for the 2014 season.

"We were a team in dire straights. We needed someone to come and be part of the team."

 

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