Felipe Massa: “A little too far. »

History is sometimes mischievous. The last time that Brazilian Felipe Massa stood on the highest step of the podium was six years ago, during a famous 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, the same one where the driver who competed for Ferrari, had lost the world title on a final overrun of Lewis Hamilton on Timo Glock in the last corner of the Interlagos track. Six years later, it was during the Briton's second coronation that Massa missed his greatest opportunity for success of the year, finishing second a few meters from the new world champion.

“I congratulate Lewis because he deserves this title after such a season. The race was incredible. I didn't expect to have this rhythm, confessed the 33-year-old pilot. We were a little slower than Mercedes but we were still very close. We tried an aggressive strategy. I was still a little too far away but it went just right. I had to be a second faster per lap compared to Lewis, but I could no longer maintain this speed in the last laps. I am very honored to be a pilot Williams and I know we can still accomplish great things together. »

Seventh in the final standings of the season, Massa played a key role in Williams' return to the forefront, with the British team finishing in third place in the Manufacturers' standings, a first since the BMW era in the early 2000s.

Find the full report of the final of the World Championship of F1 2014, produced by our special correspondents in Abu Dhabi, in issue 1988 of AUTOhebdo, available from tomorrow evening in digital version, and from next Wednesday on newsstands.