There are few workplaces that’d give you a Formula 1 car as a leaving present and Williams is one of those.
Following 14 seasons, 11 wins and a title near-miss, Felipe Massa bowed out of F1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Before the race, on Saturday night at the Yas Marina Circuit, Williams hosted a farewell party for ‘Felipe Baby’ and – as you’d expect from such a popular guy – loads of people turned up.
It was a wonderful way to celebrate his career, with team members, friends, family, journalists and fellow drivers turning up to say goodbye to one of F1’s best-loved characters.
This evening, we gave @MassaFelipe19 a special farewell. He will be missed… #ObrigadoMassa pic.twitter.com/qFFrjmBuMK
— WILLIAMS RACING (@WilliamsRacing) November 26, 2016
And after thanking Massa for his contribution to Williams and saying he’s become a member of the “Williams family”, deputy team principal Claire Williams presented him with a few gifts.
Up first was an awesome cartoon of his time in F1, from his first year with Sauber in 2002 to his retirement season this year.
She then told Massa the team is giving him his chassis from the 2016 Brazilian GP, a special race for him (despite failing to finish after a crash).
The FW38 car from Interlagos featured cool ‘Massa’ branding and the phrase “Obrigado” (meaning “thank you” in Portuguese) on the rear wing.
That’ll go nicely on the balcony of his place in Monaco, where his son raced Daniel Ricciardo on Krazy Karts. Quite the conversation-starter when he’s hosting parties.
Massa finished his 250th and final F1 race in Abu Dhabi in ninth place, scoring two points.
Thank you for all the good times, Felipe!