Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsWilliams

'Old' Massa a "happy man"

After fending off a challenge from his team mate in the closing stages of the Italian Grand Prix and securing a third place finish, Felipe Massa radioed in to his team and said he was 'getting too old for that'.

But the Brazilian was still ecstatic with his afternoon's solid performance, a perception shared by the Monza crowd who heavily cheered the former Ferrari stalwart as he arrived on the podium.

"I am really a happy man today," enthused the Williams driver.

"The start wasn't fantastic but the other guys did even worse. The pace was pretty good during the whole race apart from the last ten laps when it was really tough as I was losing the tyres and Valtteri was pushing hard."

Massa was relieved to see the chequered flag in the end as containing Bottas for another single lap would have been problematic.

"I was really scared to lose third place in an amazing race like this, but to feel the emotion and the love from all the people makes me so happy."

Massa was also quick to praise the Williams for its relative performance against its rivals. "For the moment Ferrari is quicker than us, and Mercedes is much quicker than anybody. But we need to keep fighting for the podium, and what we did today was nice."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.