Felipe Massa will live his life after F1 with no regrets

Felipe Massa has closed the chapter on his career in Formula 1 and heads to a new life without a negative thought in his mind.

After fifteen years at the pinnacle of motorsport, and a 269-race run, the 36-year-old Brazilian called it a day. And there will be no revolving door change of heart like the one which last year enticed him to extend his stay at Williams after initially deciding to retire.

A true gentleman, considered by all as one of the sport's 'good guys', Massa has not a single regret to express about his exemplary career, not even when asked about the day he came within one corner of clinching the world championship, at Interlagos in 2008.

"In 2008 what helped me through the disappointment was that I won the final race so I couldn’t do anything better than that" he reflected.

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"It was not related to me, it was also related to who was in the front of the championship but was behind in the race, so that helped me also to be natural for the people and pass on my feelings.

"I am proud with everything that I’ve achieved."

Another painful moment was his freak accident at the Hungaroring in 2009, when a suspension ring from another car broke free and flew straight into his helmet, fracturing his skull and almost taking out his left eye.

"I think as a driver I didn’t change [after the accident]," he says.

"What changed was that I respected a lot more life than before. I mean before you have a big accident you always think it will never happen to you.

"When you have a big accident and a moment where you understand life can change like that you respect life a lot more.

"I love my life now a lot more and I respect others more than how it was before."

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