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Massa announces retirement from Formula One

Lucas Swain-BrittonSeptember 1, 2016

For fifteen years Felipe Massa has been a Formula One fixture, but he'll be leaving the sport at the end of the season. The Brazilian competed for three teams and was once runner-up in the drivers' championship.

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Massa driving for Williams
Image: picture-alliance/Laci Perenyi

35-year-old Felipe Massa has announced that he'll be hanging up his helmet when the 2016 Formula One season ends in Abu Dhabi in late November. That event should be his 250th Formula One race.

Since his debut at the 2002 Australian Grand Prix, Massa has been virtually omnipresent in F1 racing for Sauber, Williams and, most notably, Ferrari. The likeable Brazilian has won a total of eleven grand prixs over that stretch.

Massa recorded all his victories in the sport whilst racing for Ferrari from 2006 to 2013. But at that team, he usually had to play second fiddle to the likes of Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso.

Whilst he has never claimed an F1 championship, he came agonizingly close in 2008, losing out to Lewis Hamilton by one point in the final race.

Massa also survived a near-fatal head injury in 2009 during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

"Every team I have been a part of has been a special experience, and not only in Formula One," he announced in an official statement on the Williams Racing website. "I have so many great memories over the years and thank everyone in all the teams I have come through to help me get to where I am today."

Massa's final team, Williams, returned the compliments

"He has done a great deal for our sport over the years and I think every team who has had the pleasure of working with him has great affection for him," deputy team principal Claire Williams, said.

The team didn't comment on who will be Massa's replacement for next season.