Having enjoyed his retirement for just over seven weeks, Felipe Massa was delighted to ditch the pipe and slippers in favour of helmet and overalls once Valtteri Bottas left Grove for Brackley.

However, the Brazilian's return hasn't been as magical as he might have hoped, falling far short of the Indian summer enjoyed by Riccardo Patrese back in the early 90s, ironically with Williams.

At a time Jolyon Palmer was telling reporters that there is just one seat in F1 still worth thinking about, the ever popular Brazilian didn't look that uncomfortable despite knowing that he is in said seat.

"To be honest we are discussing with the team and the team knows 100% my points to stay another year," he told reporters.

"I was always a professional driver, and I stay and I will finish as a professional driver like I started my career. That's the most important thing for me.

"The team knows what I can give to the team," he continued. "I would say definitely I have all the people that understand about motor racing on my side inside the team; engineers and everything.

"So that's what will count for me, at the end. But then you have some other decisions that is not depending for the talent of the driver or what he can give to the team on the driving point of view. This is not up to me to say anything. But I'm quite relaxed. I know what I can give, totally motivated to carry on another year but I'm staying if the team really wants to have me as a professional. I always been in my career, so that's the most important thing for me. And I'm quite relaxed so if I'm staying here next year I'm sure I'm doing the best I can to give the best to the team, like I did, a lot. But if not, I'm relaxed to find the different way of my life as well."

Asked if he has set a deadline, he quickly replies: "For sure I will not wait until December...

"To be honest I don't put a timeline, but I hope it would be in the next weeks," he adds. "I don't really, I don't want to arrive maybe in the last two races not knowing about my future. So we will wait and see what's going to be the decision and I hope it will be soon."

Asked about his claim that the decision may not be based on results or influenced by certain people within the team, he explained: "I don't know. To be honest I'm just saying what I know, what I believe, and definitely it is not the engineers that decide, but the people in management they have their own way to decide which hopefully is in the right direction as a top team, as a good team.

"I'm totally motivated," he continues. "To be honest, I mean it's easy to look at the position in the championship and say he did a good job or not. But this year I had great races, even in Russia I was sixth, easy, and then I had a puncture. In Barcelona I did a fantastic start, I passed the car I was supposed to overtake and then another car touched me in the corner and I had a puncture. It would be a race that I could finish in the top five easy. Baku I could even win the race.

"The points I have is not realistic," he insists, “due to the points I'm supposed to have for what I was doing for my driving point of view. At the end I am happy with what I'm doing. Unfortunately we had some unlucky races that we couldn't have the points what we is supposed to have, but for sure the team knows that."

Assuming he does stay with Williams, when asked what he wants from the team he is under no illusion.

"I want to have a definitely a better car," he replies. "I want to have a definitely opportunities to fight and to work as, you know, improve in the right way, which may be I think, I mean for what I saw the developing from now on to the next year, I believe it can be different because I mean the last three years we see how the cars start and how the car finish, it was not great. It was like going backwards, not to the front. So and I'm really working hard that things can be different, and I believe maybe next year can be different to what I saw until now, apart of 2014."

Having first raced here in 2002, the Brazilian is asked about his favourite memories of the Sepang International Circuit.

"I had good memories here, unfortunately, I mean I had two pole positions in a row, but I never won here unfortunately but I mean I had great memories.

"My first point in my career was here in my second race in my career, in 2002, which I remember was great. Two pole positions.

"I actually know Malaysia a lot because I used to race for Sauber and Petronas and Sauber is sponsoring. I remember I was doing so many events here, going to so many different towns, so actually I know pretty much Malaysia and I really enjoy to come here and I have so many great friends.

"It's a shame not to race here for Formula 1, not to race here anymore after this year. You never know, maybe in future its coming back but for sure I will not be here! If Formula 1 is coming back to Malaysia, if they will, anyway, I think it was a great experience that I had here in this country."

Check out our Thursday gallery from Sepang, here.