Massa drawn to Formula E by its level of competition

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Former F1 driver Felipe Massa says Formula E's high level of competition was the main incentive that enticed the Brazilian to join the series.

A veteran of 269 Grands Prix and an eleven-time F1 winner, Massa will embark on a full campaign in the burgeoning series' fifth season with the Monaco-based Venturi team, kicking off his electric year of racing after the summer.

Massa was eager to keep on racing after retiring from F1 at the end of 2017, and Formula E appears to offer exactly what the 37-year-old is looking for.

"The thing that I miss most is the competition," he said ahead of this Sunday's ePrix in Zurich.

"Formula E has a lot of competition – if you see how many overtakes, all the jobs that you need to do [for the] racing.

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"For sure talking about the car is important – but when you’re talking about proper competition I think Formula E has good competition.

"I’m not really a big fan of a championship that maybe has one team racing – like maybe LMP1, which I think is maybe the best car after Formula 1 to race," he added.

"But I don’t really like the idea of racing in a championship that is only one team racing. This is something that I was not really interested in.

"Plus, also touring cars – DTM is definitely a great championship, but I think all the attraction for the show [in FE], if you see all the countries it is racing [in].

"Amazing towns, they are city tracks but you really feel the people close to you, the show, the competition – it’s quite unpredictable to see who is going to win the race.

"All the ideas around [FE], after I finished my career in Formula 1 it is interesting.

"I’m not only thinking about it from a driver point of view, but also everything around the championship, all the infrastructure, all the ideas about the events.

"That’s really interesting so I’m looking forward to seeing how it’s going to be when I’m really racing."

Massa also underscored the level of talent present in Formula E, with drivers in his view that aren't far off from their F1 counter-parts.

"I would say definitely you have the best drivers in the world racing in Formula 1, but I would say that in Formula E, the level is really high," said the former Ferrari and Williams driver.

"Many of these drivers raced in F1, many drivers were not in F1 but not because they didn’t have the talent but because maybe they didn’t have the opportunity.

"Definitely I’d put the level of drivers in Formula E not far away [from] the level of drivers in F1."

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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.