Massa: Vettel's departure 'not a surprise'

Felipe Massa knows the walls of Maranello. The 2008 runner-up defended the colors of Scuderia Ferrari for 8 seasons until 2013 and therefore knows the specific functioning of the Italian team well. The 39-year-old Brazilian is therefore well placed to comment on the departure of Sebastian Vettel who will leave the Prancing Horse at the end of the year.

" It is not a surprise, commented Felipe Massa on Sky Sports. I think he has to be 100% sure he wants to stay to continue, but the team has to be sure too. He came to a point where he just wanted to change direction. So this is not at all surprising. Will he stay in F1 ? That's another question. I see in Sebastian a driver who is very focused on what he wants and I wouldn't be more surprised if he decided to stop. »

Felipe Massa believes that the arrival of Charles Leclerc may have helped the four-time world champion give up his place. The Monegasque was more than equal to his teammate last year by taking 4th place in the Drivers' standings with 24 points ahead of the German and scoring an additional victory.

“It is true that we cannot ignore what Charles did, added the Brazilian. I am that he is in karting and he showed great talent when he moved to the car showing that he could be a champion. Sebastian suffered from some pressure in the team and that may have played a part in the decision. »