Massa wanted guarantees before confirming Williams return
Felipe Massa asked for guarantees that Williams was going in the right direction and that his input would be valued before committing to returning to F1 with the Grove team this season.
Massa was contacted by the deputy team principal Claire Williams following Nico Rosberg's retirement announcement, after it became clear that Mercedes had targeted Valtteri Bottas.
Massa then travelled to the UK to discuss what went wrong for the team the year before.
"She called me straight away, so we spoke," said Massa, "And then I took the plane to England to sit with her and just discuss so many things around that, so many things around the team, so many things that I believe [were] some ideas for the team that didn't work last year.
"So anyway, we had a very long conversation. And then it took a little bit of time to be 100 percent clear. It was not just due to myself, but also because of so many things around – with Mercedes, with Valtteri, with me. Anyway, it took a little bit of time."
Massa says that in the end he was convinced returning was the right choice to make: "I just followed my heart, and really followed all the messages I got from the fans, from my family.
"I didn't really see any message saying 'don't do it'. I just followed my heart, that's what I love to do. I was for sure not ready to carry on in Formula 1 just to be part of the grid.
"I think if I work somewhere, I need to work in a place where I feel important, that I can be important, and maybe I can be competitive.
"I took this decision to carry on because I found the possibility to stay in a professional direction."
Share Or Save This Story
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
On this day: Michael Schumacher wins… and stuns tifosi with F1 retirement
Defendant ordered to pay £250,000 legal fees in Felipe Massa F1 title case
Felipe Massa’s F1 2008 lawsuit will proceed to trial
James Vowles hails Williams factory effort after major Baku F1 upgrade
Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz reveal F1 boys' trip plans
How Fernando Alonso scored ninth at Zandvoort - and how Alex Albon lost a similar payday
Isack Hadjar earns "team-mate points" after "exceptional comeback" in Baku, says Alex Brundle
Cleetus McFarland buys Greg Biffle's 2004 NASCAR Cup race car for $47,000
NASCAR Chase has been best blend of entertainment and integrity
Liam Lawson: “I don’t understand” why Arvid Lindblad escaped penalty after wrecking my floor
Baku late-race chaos almost costs George Russell victory over Max Verstappen
How George Russell claimed his career-best pole margin in F1 Azerbaijan GP qualifying
How the chase to catch Mercedes is unfolding
What we learned from Thursday practice at the 2026 F1 Azerbaijan GP
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments