11-Time F1 Grand Prix Winner Felipe Massa Signs On For Formula E


Had enough of Formula One? Check out Formula E. That goes not only for fans, but for drivers too. And now another former Grand Prix pilot is making his way to the electric racing series.

Not just any driver, either: we’re talking about Felipe Massa. Arguably one of the top drivers in recent F1 history, the Brazilian has won no fewer than eleven F1 grands prix. And he came close – really close – to winning the championship in 2008, when he narrowly lost to Lewis Hamilton by just a single point.

That wasn’t the only time he finished near the top of the standings, either. He placed third in 2006 behind Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher, and fourth in 2007 after Kimi Raikkonen (plus Hamilton and Alonso). Over the course of his career, he amassed an impressive 1,167 championship points.

Now, having ended his sixteen-year-long career in F1 with Williams, he’s signed on with the Venturi team to drive in Formula E starting next season. The deal is for three years, so suffice it to say, he’ll be sticking around for a bit.

“I’m very happy to be joining the Venturi Formula E Team and the Formula E championship, which has become a magnificent competition in such a short space of time,” said Massa. “For some years now, I’ve been clear about my interest in this innovative, forward-looking discipline that’s developing exponentially. I especially like the format of race meetings, the city-centre circuits and the contact with the fans. I can’t wait to take part in testing at the end of the month.”

He won’t be the only former F1 driver in the sport, either. He’ll be joining several of his old rivals there, including Lucas di Grassi and Sebastien Buemi – both of which have already been confirmed for the forthcoming fifth season (at Audi and Nissan, respectively). The fourth season currently under way has also included former grand prix pilots Nelson Piquet, Nick Heidfeld, Kamui Kobayashi, Jean-Eric Vergne, and Jerome d’Ambrosio. And previous seasons have included even more.

Carscoops

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Limited Edition Ford GT 'Competition Series' Is All About The Track

Image
Ford's new GT Competition Series was built with weight-saving in mind, but also with an improved center of gravity for better road-holding. Among its features, you'll notice the lightweight carbon fiber racing stripes, A-Pillars and side mirrors, as well as the unique race-inspired Perspex acrylic engine hatch with integrated venting. Thanks to the manual latch and the carbon fiber prop rod, weight near the roof has been reduced, though Ford engineers went even further in their quest to make the car lighter, by making the bulkhead Gorilla Glass behind the driver about half as thick (and as light) as on other models. "The Ford GT has racing in its blood," said Ford exec Raj Nair, while adding that the Competition Series "was developed with the most hardcore track enthusiasts in mind, providing a tailored set of lightweight features and unique livery to match." There are also plenty of remaining performance features from the production car, such as
Read more

Alpine A110 Hits Geneva With Pure, Legende And GT4 Versions

Image
Renault’s reborn Alpine brand has been getting rave reviews for its new A110 and now, as promised, it’s revealed new versions of its coupe at the Geneva Motor Show. Following the success of the sold-out Premiere Edition, the A110 will now be offered in Pure and Legende trims. The A110 Pure is targeted at driving enthusiasts. It features one-piece Sabelt sports seats that weigh barely more than 13 kilograms (28.6 pounds) each and, combined with other weight-saving measures, helps keep the curb weight below 1,100 kg ( 2,425 lbs). It’s not entirely stripped out, though, and still comes with features like air-conditioning and satellite navigation. Buyers can also add upgraded Brembo brakes and an adaptive exhaust system and can upgrade to the adjustable comfort seats. Those come standard on the Legende model, which is geared more towards every day driving and grand touring and comes with leather upholstery. Customers can also choose between two Focal sound systems and two wheel
Read more

Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet Is A Crossover For Droptop Lovers

Image
Droptop crossovers have always been rather odd and the T-Roc Cabriolet is no different. It will be the only convertible Volkswagen on sale for the foreseeable future and will celebrate its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Rather than simply removing the roof of the standard T-Roc, Volkswagen has drastically altered the vehicle’s structure and body. In fact, its wheelbase is 37 mm longer than the standard T-Roc while its overall length is up by 34 mm. In addition, the Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet features structural strengthening in the underbody, side panels, cross members, doors, and windscreen frame to make up for the lack of a roof. The folding fabric roof developed by Volkswagen retracts in just nine seconds at speeds of up to 19 mph (30.5 km/h) and is similar in operation to the roof of the outgoing Golf Cabriolet. The presence of the soft top reduces trunk space by 161 liters down from the 284 liters of the run-of-the-mill T-Roc. We don’t think bu
Read more