Massa accepts offer to stay at Williams in 2017
Felipe Massa has accepted an offer to return to Formula 1 next year with Williams, in a deal that paves the way for Valtteri Bottas to join Mercedes.
Although final contracts have not yet been completed, Motorsport.com has learned that Massa has decided to go back on his decision to retire.
The Brazilian had announced this year that the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix would be his last F1 race.
But with Mercedes looking to sign Bottas to replace retired world champion Nico Rosberg, Massa has now agreed to stay at Williams for at least another year in order to help the team in a season where big regulations changes are set to reward experience.
Williams has signed 18-year-old rookie Lance Stroll as one of its drivers for the 2017 season, and departing tech chief Pat Symonds had said earlier this month that it was "crucial" to retain Bottas.
Massa's decision means the way is clear for Mercedes to sign Bottas, who has been tipped as the main candidate to replace Rosberg.
Mercedes has made it clear that a decision on who will partner Lewis Hamilton will not be announced before next year, with Niki Lauda saying that discussions were proving "difficult".
The world champion team admitted it had been caught off guard by Rosberg's decision and that it wanted to sort its line-up as quickly as possible.
Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams conceded the Grove squad would only let Bottas go if it could find a fitting replacement, both to mentor Stroll and for title sponsor Martini to be able to use in promotions.
"If we did allow Valtteri to leave, we would only do this if an experienced, credible alternative was available, such as someone like Felipe Massa, for example," Williams said.
F1 season review: Top five moments of 2016
Alfa Romeo could be "breeding ground" for Italian F1 juniors
Previewing the biggest driver moves for the 2023 NASCAR Cup season
There are several drivers who find themselves at new homes for 2023, from race winners to Cup champions and even a couple rookies trying to prove that they belong at NASCAR's top level.
McLaren signs Hughes to complete 2022-23 Formula E grid
Jake Hughes will partner Rene Rast at the McLaren Formula E team in 2022-23, completing the field as the last driver to be confirmed for the upcoming season.
Villeneuve set to test Vanwall Le Mans Hypercar
Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve is set to test the Vanwall Le Mans Hypercar at Barcelona this week.
Track guide for the Le Mans Virtual Series Sebring 500 race
It’s regarded as one of the classic sportscar venues in the world. Sebring is the venue for round four of the Le Mans Virtual Series — the number one eSports championship for the world’s best simulator and professional race drivers — in association with LEGO® Technic™ and its stunning #51 AF Corse Ferrari 488.
The difference between Mercedes’ stumble and the fall of F1 giants
OPINION: Mercedes endured its worst season of the hybrid Formula 1 era, but was mercifully spared its first winless campaign in over a decade late on. It has owned up to the mistakes it made which led to its troubled W13. And while its task to return to title-challenging contention is not small, its 2022 season seems more like a blip than the beginning of a downward spiral.
The physical focus bringing out the best from Esteban Ocon
Esteban Ocon likes to point out he’s the first driver since Lewis Hamilton to emerge from a spell as Fernando Alonso’s teammate with a superior overall points record. While some may disagree, as LUKE SMITH discovered, the 2021 Hungarian GP winner reckons it’s not just luck which has made him France’s pre-eminent Formula 1 driver of the moment…
How Red Bull's dynamic leader Mateschitz shaped its F1 philosophy
The death of Dietrich Mateschitz last month has not only deprived Red Bull of its visionary founder, it has shorn Formula 1 of one of its most influential benefactors. Mateschitz himself was famously media-shy, preferring to let the brand do the talking on his behalf. And, while it’s now normal to speak of Red Bull F1 titles and champions made, Mateschitz never assumed it would be easy or even possible – as ANTHONY ROWLINSON discovered during this previously unpublished interview from 2006…
Can Mercedes break Formula 1's cycle of doom?
OPINION: Teams that have dominated for long periods throughout Formula 1's history often take years to get back to the top of the tree once they've slipped down. But it remains to be seen whether the same will happen to Mercedes after a challenging 2022 season
What hurt Perez most in his ill-fated fight for second in Abu Dhabi
Arguably the favourite in the battle to finish second-best in 2022's Formula 1 standings, Sergio Perez's two-stop strategy at Abu Dhabi couldn't take him ahead of Charles Leclerc when the music stopped - and several key factors ultimately precluded him from the much-coveted runner-up spot.
The Abu Dhabi momentum that can propel Leclerc and Ferrari to F1 2023 success
OPINION: Charles Leclerc achieved his target of sealing runner-up in the 2022 world championship with a masterful drive behind Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi. And that race contained key elements that may help him, and Ferrari, go one better in Formula 1 2023
2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Driver Ratings
The 2022 Formula 1 season came to a close at the Yas Marina Circuit, where the battle for second in the standings was decided, the wins in a season record extended and a retiring four-time world champion bowed out on a high. Here's how we rated the drivers
The factors that stopped Perez catching Leclerc in Verstappen's Abu Dhabi triumph
Max Verstappen ended the 2022 Formula 1 season in fitting fashion with a dominant drive to victory in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. But behind him, early season rival Charles Leclerc achieved his target of securing the runner-up spot with a well-executed a one-stop strategy to beat Sergio Perez, whose pursuit on a two-stop strategy was hampered by several critical factors