Massa announces second retirement

Felipe Massa has announced that he will retire (again) from the world of F1 at the end of the 2017 season.

At the end of the 2016 Formula One World Championship veteran driver Felipe Massa made an emotional goodbye from the world of F1.

He retired from his home Grand Prix and received a guard of honour by all the teams as he came down the pit lane. It was the perfect way to say goodbye.

The Brazilian was set to be replaced by Canadian youngster Lance Stroll at Williams and with no competitive seats remaining on the F1 grid, Massa was set to leave the sport.

But the shock instant retirement of Formula One World Champion Nico Rosberg created a lifeline for Massa within F1.

Valterri Bottas, Massa’s former team-mate was handpicked by Mercedes to replace the outgoing title holder.

That left a seat open at Williams and without much time ahead of the new season, Massa returned to his old car.

‘As everyone knows, after announcing my retirement from Formula 1 last year, I agreed to return this season to help Williams when the call came,’ said Massa in a team statement this past weekend.

‘I have now enjoyed four great years with the team, but my career in Formula 1 will finally come to an end this season. Once more, I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this time: my wife and my father, my whole family, my manager Nicolas and all my friends, colleagues and sponsors.

‘I would also like to add a huge thank you to all of the fans who have been incredibly supportive and passionate over the years. I take so many great memories with me as I prepare for my final two races in Brazil and Abu Dhabi, and although they will be emotional, I am looking forward to ending on a high note and preparing for a new chapter in my career.’

Attention will now turn to who will Williams pick to replace him?

Will it be reserve driver Paul Di Resta?
Will it be a fairytale return to the sport for Robert Kubica?
Will it be Mercedes backed Pascal Wehrlein?
Or could it be Red Bull outcast Daniil Kvyat?