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Button says Massa "brave" to retire from F1
Jenson Button has labeled Felipe Massa's decision to retire form Formula 1 as "brave" after the Brazilian announced he will leave the sport after 2016.
Pablo Elizalde
Edited: May 5, 2021, 4:32 PM
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Button and Massa have shared the track since the Brazilian made his grand prix debut in 2002, two years later than Button.
The 2009 world champion, whose future is still up in the air, admitted it felt strange to see his rival retiring.
"I've raced with Felipe since he started in F1, 15 years we have been racing together," said Button during Thursday's press conference at Monza.
"It's always a strange feeling when someone retires from the sport who has achieved so much, so many victories and being so close, but we all have our own reasons.
"It is a brave decision but he has chosen to retire so it is definitely the right one."
Massa's former teammate at Ferrari Kimi Raikkonen said it was a "shame" the Brazilian was hanging up his helmet.
"It is a shame but that is his choice in the end," he said. "We had a good relationship and we were in same team and obviously had some difficult moments with his accident, but he has been strong, always and is a very nice guy.
"Life goes on and I am sure he made the right choice for himself. Hopefully he has a good end of F1 career.
Raikkonen's Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel added: "It's a shame to see him quit, as he will be missed. I wish him the best for whatever he wants to do in the future. Apart from talent and speed on track he is a great guy and very easy going."
Williams lucky to have him
Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams also paid homage to Massa, saying the British squad was lucky the Brazilian decided to join in 2013 after a dismal season.
"We were so lucky that he honoured us and joined our team back in 2013," said Williams.
"I still remember to this day the text message I sent. I knew I would get a reply because he is polite, I didn't expect that he would grant me a meeting based on our performance over the previous few years.
"We were so lucky that Felipe agreed to join us. We were obviously a team that was in dire straits, we needed someone like Felipe to come and be a part of our team and he has been a really big part of our journey over the past three years.
"He has been instrumental in driving us forward. We finished third in the past two years and he has been a big part of that success: not just for the talent that he brings, which everyone is fully aware of, but also the personality at Williams."
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