Massa sees no reason to retire from F1

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Felipe Massa says he would be happy to race on in Formula 1 next season with Williams, but the Grove-based outfit isn't committing yet to its 2018 driver line-up.

Massa announced his retirement at the end of last season but came back through Williams' revolving door when Valtteri Bottas was recruited by Mercedes following Nico Rosberg's sudden retreat from F1.

The 36-year-old Brazilian is enjoying his season so far, and appreciates driving F1's new-spec faster cars, even if recent races failed to deliver to Massa - through no fault of his own - the expected results.

"At the moment, I see no reason why I should not be in Formula 1 next year," Massa said at Silverstone.

"I like the new cars and I'm doing a good job. If Williams wants me, I'll be here. But of course you can never be sure before the contract is signed," he added.

Massa says Williams is 'back to normal' at Silverstone

Claire Williams is holding off however on selecting the team's driver line-up for next season, although Lance Stroll's presence appears to be a given.

"There's a lot of talk about drivers across the paddock," she said in yesterday's team principal media conference.

"For us, we've decided we're going to hold off a bit on our driver decision.

"We've got a fight on our hands on the race track at the moment, and to be distracted by those kinds of conversations isn't something that we want to be happening at the moment.

Force India has a nice points haul on us at the moment we need to focus on, rather than anything else."

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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.