Massa wanted guarantees before confirming Williams return

Massa was contacted by the deputy team principal Claire Williams following Nico Rosberg's retirement announcement, after it became clear that Mercedes had targeted Valtteri Bottas.

Massa then travelled to the UK to discuss what went wrong for the team the year before.

"She called me straight away, so we spoke," said Massa, "And then I took the plane to England to sit with her and just discuss so many things around that, so many things around the team, so many things that I believe [were] some ideas for the team that didn't work last year.

"So anyway, we had a very long conversation. And then it took a little bit of time to be 100 percent clear. It was not just due to myself, but also because of so many things around – with Mercedes, with Valtteri, with me. Anyway, it took a little bit of time."

Massa says that in the end he was convinced returning was the right choice to make: "I just followed my heart, and really followed all the messages I got from the fans, from my family.

"I didn't really see any message saying 'don't do it'. I just followed my heart, that's what I love to do. I was for sure not ready to carry on in Formula 1 just to be part of the grid.

"I think if I work somewhere, I need to work in a place where I feel important, that I can be important, and maybe I can be competitive.

"I took this decision to carry on because I found the possibility to stay in a professional direction."