F1 | Massa: “Nothing official, I am on vacation”
Felipe Massa, reached by telephone by the magazine Globo, has denied all the rumors about his agreement with Williams if Bottas were to leave the Grove team to take over the empty seat left by Nico Rosberg at Mercedes.
You’re on vacation, enjoying the sun, you grab your smartphone to catch up on some news and you find the first page talking about Felipe Massa’s not so certain retirement. The Brazilian driver had made the announcement months ago, with the final race at Interlagos as the perfect goodbye to his career.
The setback in the retirement plans comes in the form of Nico Rosberg, announcing his uprising retirement and leaving an empty spot at Mercedes. The German team needs a substitute that will be able to hold up to the challenge, and one of the front-running candidates for the spot is Valtteri Bottas, whom has the talent to hold back the favorites, Red Bull Racing, in the upcoming 2017 season. The problem with Bottas is that he is managed by Toto Wolff, and if he were to join Mercedes, there would be a conflict of interests. “If Bottas were to driver for us, Toto will no longer be his manager” stated Niki Lauda.
And if the situation in Mercedes is precarious, think about what is happening at Williams: the Grove team plans post-Massa were quite clear, with Valtteri Bottas as the ‘sure thing’ alongside rookie Lance Stroll. The best substitute for Bottas would only be Massa, with the Brazilian, according to many sources, would have already signed a deal with Williams for six million euros for 2017. A deal that would only take place if Valtteri were to actually move to Mercedes.
From a beach, where he most likely has been following all that has been happening, Felipe Massa puts an end to the rumors “I have nothing to say, I’m on vacation and I am not planning on throwing fuel on the fire. It’s all speculation. Everything reported from newspapers is just rumors and nothing is official”.
Mercedes stated that the announcement for the second driver may wait until the end of January, and that the team from Brackley is in no rush. Until then, there will be no official statements from either team.
(translated from formulapassion.it)
F1 | Massa: “Nulla di ufficiale, sono in vacanza”
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