As the curtain closes on his time in Formula 1, Felipe Massa believes he achieved a good result in qualifying this evening in Abu Dhabi, securing the last spot among the top 10 on tomorrow’s grid.
Contrary to his rivals, Massa accomplished just a single lap in Q3 as his prospects of moving meaningfully up the order were remote following a very good Q2 stint in which he edged out his Williams team mate Valtteri Bottas.
“It is my last qualifying so it is good to finish with a good performance,” Massa said.
“It is always good to be quick so I am not stopping because of the speed; I am stopping because of other things. It is like a nice gift.
“I will really concentrate and get ready for the race tomorrow, which is an important day, and I really hope things can work in a proper way tomorrow.”
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Looking at tomorrow’s race indeed, Massa wasn’t sure his P10 qualifying spot was much of an advantage against his team mate who could potentially benefit from a free choice of tyres.
“We’ll have to see, because you never know. For sure the strategy and everything will count for the tyres.
“I was quite happy with my long-run performance yesterday and today, so I think the car can be in a good line for the race.”
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While Massa insisted that he did not feel that yesterday was his last ‘Friday’ in Formula 1, he definitely was aware of today’s ultimacy.
“Yes, sure, now I know it was the last qualifying day, but to be honest it is nothing really sad. I am happy for my decision anyway.
“It is a really good feeling to finish your last qualifying with a good performance. A good performance always gives you happiness, and I am happy for my job today and I hope we can have a good race tomorrow.
“But we know the car we have so the race will be not easy, so many cars around that are more competitive than ours. But I will try everything I can for getting the best out of my car.”
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