10/11/2013
NEWS STORY
Over fifteen thousand fans were at Mugello to pay tribute to Felipe Massa ahead of his two final races for Ferrari.
Braving the less than welcoming weather they turned out to see Massa at the same track where he had his first F1 test, for Sauber back in 2001.
Following three seasons with the Swiss team, the Brazilian joined Ferrari in 2006, replacing fellow Brazilian Rubens Barrichello as partner to Michael Schumacher. In 136 outings for the Scuderia, the second highest in the Maranello outfit's history, including 11 wins, the popular driver's time with the Italian team is coming to a close.
"I've been lucky, I have had a great career with Ferrari, longer than I had ever dreamed of at the start," he told reporters. "When I began racing in go-karts as a kid, I had a red Ferrari suit and it's always been the team I supported. Even when Senna was at McLaren and Piquet at Williams, I was cheering for Ferrari! We began our relationship in 2001 and I have raced for them for eight seasons, which is a very important part of my life. I have so many friends at Ferrari and I will miss them, as I will also miss the nice days I spent at the factory in Maranello. I am happy with the way my time with the Prancing Horse turned out."
On Saturday, there was a gala dinner at the Stazione Leopolda in Florence, which was opened by Massa arriving in a Formula 1 car and ended with a ten minute standing ovation, while today it continued in front of all the fans at Mugello. "These are memories that will stay with me always, just like so many other beautiful moments spent together, starting with the wins," continued Felipe. "For example, I think back to the wins at Interlagos, because for a Brazilian, to win your home race is something amazing. Sure, the dream just slipped out of my grasp, namely winning the world title in front of my home crowd, but that wasn't the race where I lost the 2008 title: when you finish second by a point the key moment could have come at so many different places and I'm thinking of Singapore for example, or Budapest, or others still..."
"Felipe has been a true Ferrari man and he will always be part of our history," said company president Luca di Montezemolo, "for all the Grands Prix he drove for us, for the wins, the pole positions and for those few seconds when he was world champion that day in Brazil, before that overtaking move that always seemed a bit strange to me," said Montezemolo. "We spent some great times together, while some others were more difficult, such as the accident in Budapest.
"These have been very busy years and today, I wanted to thank him publicly, having already done so privately, just the two of us," he continued. "I think the decision to go our separate ways is the right one, both for us and for him. It's time for a change and also to find new motivation. I wish Felipe every success, starting with the last two races of this championship. As for the rest of his Formula 1 career, I wish him the very best, but naturally, behind a Ferrari and anyway, I am sure we will get many chances to meet up again, because life is long and he will always be part of our family. When one has a mutually agreed separation, in the best interests of both parties, it can be done calmly in a friendly and constructive manner, and that has been the case this time."
It's not just memories that Massa will take home with him. At the end of his demonstration run at the wheel of an F10, which he drove alongside Marc Gene, Montezemolo, Vice President Piero Ferrari and Managing Director Amedeo Felisa presented the Brazilian driver with a special cup, engraved with the names of the eleven Grands Prix he won during his time in red.
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