128-1021: Felipe Massa ( Brazilian Portuguese: [fiˈlipi ˈmasɐ] ; born 25 April 1981) is a Brazilian racing driver , currently competing in the Stock Car Pro Series for TMG Racing . Massa competed in Formula One from 2002 to 2017 , and was runner-up in the World Drivers' Championship in 2008 with Ferrari ; he won 11 Grands Prix across 15 seasons. Born in São Paulo and raised in Botucatu , Massa started his career in karting aged eight, winning national and regional championships before progressing to junior formulae in 1998. Massa won several championships in Formula Chevrolet and Formula Renault , before winning
256-406: A transformative shift, echoing past pivots. The industry, much like the cars it champions , has had to navigate through a global pandemic and a persistent chip shortage, each threatening to derail production schedules . At the same time, a new course is being charted towards an electric future, a dramatic change in direction that is challenging the old guard of gasoline engines. There is also
384-631: A "manufacturer's" logo and "vehicle name", yet use components produced by another automobile manufacturer. There are also other stock car governing bodies, most notably the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). In the UK, British Stock car racing is also referred to as "Short Circuit Racing". UK Stock car racing started in the 1950s and grew rapidly through the 1960s and 1970s. Events take place on shale or tarmac tracks – usually around 1/4 mile long. There are around 35 tracks in
512-694: A 10-place grid drop for an incident during the Italian Grand Prix , he was dropped for the United States Grand Prix in an attempt to circumnavigate the penalty, being replaced by Heinz-Harald Frentzen . Massa returned to the driver's seat for the Japanese Grand Prix , but Sauber confirmed that Frentzen would partner Heidfeld in 2003 , leaving Massa without a race seat. Instead, he spent a year with Sauber's engine suppliers, Ferrari , gaining experience by testing for
640-423: A 15-second lead over Räikkönen in the rain, before that advantage was wiped out by the safety car. Soon Räikkönen was out of contention with a drive-through penalty. After the safety car came in, Massa again started pulling away from Robert Kubica, but he ran up an escape road and lost the lead. Massa did jump Kubica in the pitstops, but Lewis Hamilton 's one-stopping McLaren was by now ahead of both of them. During
768-649: A 3rd place at the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring . After making a great start to 4th place, he used his fuel strategy while defending from other drivers and looking after his tyres to take the final podium place. On 25 July 2009, in the second round of qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix , Massa's head, though protected by his driver's helmet, was struck by a suspension spring that had fallen from Rubens Barrichello 's Brawn , on
896-462: A charging Hamilton came at him in the last 10 laps, Massa could not hold him off and subsequently finished third. After the race, Massa was four points behind Hamilton but three ahead of Räikkönen. At the Hungarian Grand Prix , the McLarens locked out the front row, and the best Massa could get was third. However, at the start itself, Massa passed both Heikki Kovalainen and pole sitter Hamilton on
1024-500: A collision with Massa whilst exiting the pitlane. At the Chinese Grand Prix the following week Massa and teammate Räikkönen struggled for pace the entire weekend, a situation which Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali could not explain. Massa qualified third behind Räikkönen's Ferrari and title rival Hamilton. Following the pattern of the weekend Massa struggled to keep up with Hamilton, who raced away and maintained
1152-535: A comfortable margin. Whilst he eventually found some speed after the graining period on the medium compound tyres, he was unable to catch Hamilton. As Räikkönen yielded second place to keep Massa's title hopes alive, Hamilton pulled his lead out to seven points in the Drivers' Championship. Massa remained optimistic stating "For sure we are in a difficult position but we know many things can happen in one race" and "Always when you play at home you usually play better"; in
1280-553: A delay with his fuel rig, which put him down to 17th. He then staged a fightback, charging back up to fifth place by the end of the race. Two of Massa's title contenders failed to finish after Hamilton collided with a stationary Räikkönen in the pitlane, allowing Massa to equal Hamilton and overtake Räikkönen in the driver standings. In the French Grand Prix , Massa qualified 2nd on the grid behind his teammate Räikkönen. Massa stayed some 3 to 4 seconds behind his teammate for
1408-547: A disappointing seventh, although he at least managed to out-qualify teammate Alonso and beat him in the race. Massa described the race as "boring"; he spent it battling with the Renaults of Kubica and Vitaly Petrov for the minor points positions. In Canada he qualified 7th and after an excellent start he spun Liuzzi 3 times and from there on had a poor race finishing 15th and a lap down. In Valencia , he qualified 5th, but after Mark Webber and Heikki Kovalainen collided and
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#17327972619261536-412: A drive-through penalty. This followed an incident in qualifying where Hamilton lunged down Massa's inside, attempting to pass on an out-lap, which led Massa to publicly criticise Hamilton. Massa also went up to Hamilton in the post-race TV interview area as he was about to start an interview with RTL Television , patted his shoulder, and sarcastically said: "Good job, bro." It was later reported that during
1664-734: A growing number of events for electric racing cars, such as the Formula E , the Eco Grand Prix or the Electric GT Championship . In single-seater ( open-wheel ) racing, the wheels are not covered, and the cars often have aerofoil wings front and rear to produce downforce and enhance adhesion to the track. The most popular varieties of open-wheel road racing are Formula One (F1), the IndyCar Series and Super Formula . In Europe and Asia, open-wheeled racing
1792-599: A guest driver. In his rookie year in Formula 1, Massa was paired with 1999 International Formula 3000 champion Nick Heidfeld . He proved he was a competitive driver, but made several mistakes, including spinning off the track several times. Nevertheless, Massa scored 4 championship points in his first season, his best result a 5th place at the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya . After picking up
1920-454: A high-speed part of the track. He subsequently crashed head-on into a tyre barrier. Massa was airlifted to the ÁEK hospital in Budapest , where he underwent surgery in the area surrounding his left eye. His condition was initially described as "life-threatening but stable", but improved rapidly. Massa was discharged from hospital the following week and returned to Brazil. After further tests it
2048-707: A lap at 388 km/h (241 mph). The series' biggest race is the Indianapolis 500 , which is commonly referred to as "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" due to being the longest continuously run race in the series and having the largest crowd for a single-day sporting event (350,000+). The other major international single-seater racing series is Formula 2 (formerly known as Formula 3000 and GP2 Series ). Regional series include Super Formula and Formula V6 Asia (specifically in Asia), Formula Renault 3.5 (also known as
2176-482: A much easier time following and passing than in open-wheel racing . It often features full-contact racing with subtle bumping and nudging due to the small speed differentials and large grids. The major touring car championships conducted worldwide are the Supercars Championship (Australia), British Touring Car Championship , Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), World Touring Car Championship and
2304-528: A prescribed route occurred at 4:30 A.M. on August 30, 1867, between Ashton-under-Lyne and Old Trafford , England, a distance of 8 mi (13 km). It was won by the carriage of Isaac Watt Boulton . Internal combustion auto racing events began soon after the construction of the first successful gasoline -fueled automobiles. The first organized contest was on April 28, 1887, by the chief editor of Paris publication Le Vélocipède , Monsieur Fossier. It ran 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from Neuilly Bridge to
2432-559: A second-place finish at his home Grand Prix at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Massa led much of the Brazilian Grand Prix , until yielding the lead to teammate Kimi Räikkönen , thus securing Räikkönen's world championship title. Massa finished the 2007 season ranked fourth in the drivers' standing with 94 points. In October 2007, Massa extended his contract with Ferrari to the end of 2010. Ferrari appeared off
2560-619: A second-place qualifying place, and a second-place finish in Bahrain behind teammate Fernando Alonso , despite having to save fuel in the last 22 laps. At the Australian Grand Prix , Massa was appointed a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association . Massa qualified fifth for the race, which was marked by changeable weather conditions and ten non-finishers. He finished third, largely managing to steer clear of
2688-513: A series of neurological examinations, co-ordinated by the FIA's medical delegate, in Paris on 10 October 2009. The successful completion of these tests led to the announcement by Ferrari that Massa would, from 12 October 2009 be driving a 2007 Formula One car in order to continue re-acclimatising to racing. He waved the chequered flag at the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix . Massa started the 2010 season with
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#17327972619262816-426: A single point. Massa took pole position for what was the first ever F1 night race and inaugural Singapore Grand Prix , beating Hamilton by six-tenths of a second. He maintained the lead at the start and after 14 laps, was over 5 seconds ahead of Hamilton. However, a crash for Nelson Piquet Jr. brought out the safety car, bunching up all the cars. It was then time for the first round of stops and during his stop Massa
2944-426: A small, low-cost machine on small tracks. Many of the current top drivers began their careers in karts. Formula Ford represents the most popular first open-wheel category for up-and-coming drivers stepping up from karts. The series is still the preferred option, as it has introduced an aero package and slicks, allowing the junior drivers to gain experience in a race car with dynamics closer to F1. The Star Mazda Series
3072-589: A team order had been made to Massa to let Alonso overtake, and race stewards agreed. Despite team boss Stefano Domenicali's denial, Ferrari were fined $ 100,000 for breaking Sporting Regulations and the matter was referred to the FIA World Motor Sport Council . Massa finished 4th in Hungary and Belgium and third in Italy . In Singapore , he qualified last due to a gearbox issue, but finished
3200-556: A time in Q3, ending up ninth on the grid after Sergio Pérez 's penalty was applied. On his first flying lap in Q3 – having been 0.4 seconds faster than Bottas' provisional pole time of 1:08.846 through the first two sectors – Hamilton ran wide at the final corner and had his lap time deleted for exceeding track limits. On his second and final lap Hamilton locked his rear brakes under braking for turn 2 and spun. Sebastian Vettel failed to reach Q3, although his teammate Daniel Ricciardo did. At
3328-823: Is NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). NASCAR's premier series is the NASCAR Cup Series , its most famous races being the Daytona 500 , the Southern 500 , the Coca-Cola 600 , and the Brickyard 400 . NASCAR also runs several feeder series, including the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series (a pickup truck racing series). The series conduct races across the entire continental United States . NASCAR also sanctions series outside of
3456-651: Is a worldwide series that runs only street circuit and race tracks . These cars are heavily based on technology and their aerodynamics. The speed record was set in 2005 by Juan Pablo Montoya hitting 373 km/h (232 mph). Some of the most prominent races are the Monaco Grand Prix, the Italian Grand Prix , and the British Grand Prix . The season ends with the crowning of the World Championship for drivers and constructors. In
3584-650: Is another entry-level series. Indy Lights represent the last step on the Road to Indy , being less powerful and lighter than an IndyCar racer. Students at colleges and universities can also take part in single-seater racing through the Formula SAE competition, which involves designing and building a single-seater car in a multidisciplinary team and racing it at the competition. This also develops other soft skills, such as teamwork, while promoting motorsport and engineering. The world's first all-female Formula racing team
3712-560: Is commonly referred to as 'Formula', with appropriate hierarchical suffixes. In North America, the 'Formula' terminology is not followed (with the exception of F1). The sport is usually arranged to follow an international format (such as F1), a regional format (such as the Formula 3 Euro Series), and/or a domestic, or country-specific, format (such as the German Formula 3 championship, or the British Formula Ford). F1
3840-923: Is the FIA World Endurance Championship . The main series for GT car racing is the GT World Challenge Europe , divided into two separate championships: the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup and the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup . This series has formed after the folding of the various FIA GT championships. The prevailing classes of GT cars are GT3 , GT4 and GT2 class cars. GT2 cars have powerful engines, often exceeding 600 horsepower. However, they have less downforce than GT3 cars and also have less driver aids. GT3 cars are far and away
3968-522: Is undergoing a period of transition, but is still the longest-running road racing series in the U.S. The National Auto Sport Association also provides a venue for amateurs to compete in home-built factory-derived vehicles on various local circuits. In sports car racing, production-derived versions of two-seat sports cars , also known as grand tourers (GTs), and purpose-built sports prototype cars compete within their respective classes on closed circuits. The premier championship series of sports car racing
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4096-733: The 24 Hours of Le Mans , begun in 1923. It is run by the Automobile Club of the West (ACO). Team Ferrari won the race in 2023. With auto construction and racing dominated by France, the French automobile club ACF staged a number of major international races, usually from or to Paris, connecting with another major city, in France or elsewhere in Europe. Aspendale Racecourse , in Australia,
4224-634: The 24 Hours of Le Mans , the Rolex 24 at Daytona , 24 Hours of Spa -Franchorchamps, the 12 Hours of Sebring , the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen , and the 1,000-mile (1,600 km) Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta . There is also the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring on the famed Nordschleife track and the Dubai 24 Hour , which is aimed at GT3 and below cars with a mixture of professional and pro-am drivers. Production-car racing, otherwise known as "showroom stock" in
4352-562: The Canadian Grand Prix . Championship competitor Kevin Magnussen had gained one second-place finish, while Jenson Button , Vettel (twice), Sergio Pérez and Alonso had achieved third place podium finishes. Nico Rosberg was the fastest in the first free practice session with a lap time of 1:11.295. Teammate Lewis Hamilton was the fastest in the second free practice session with a lap time of 1:09.542. Valtteri Bottas
4480-465: The Euro Formula 3000 Championship in 2001 with Draco . Massa signed for Sauber in 2002 to partner Nick Heidfeld , making his Formula One debut at the Australian Grand Prix . Despite scoring several points finishes in his rookie season, Massa was replaced by Heinz-Harald Frentzen in 2003 and became a test driver for Ferrari . Massa returned to Sauber the following year , remaining with
4608-468: The European and Belgian Grands Prix. After two races in which Badoer failed to score a single point, on 3 September 2009 Ferrari announced that Massa's place for the rest of the season would instead be taken by Giancarlo Fisichella who had signed a deal to be a Ferrari test driver for 2010 and had driven for Force India throughout the 2009 season. As part of his return to Formula One Massa undertook
4736-687: The Formula 1 Grosser Preis Von Österreich 2014 ) was a Formula One motor race held on 22 June 2014 at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg , Austria . It was the eighth round of the 2014 season and marked the 28th running of the Austrian Grand Prix and the 27th time it had been held as a round of the Formula One World Championship. It was the first Austrian Grand Prix held since 2003 . The 71-lap race
4864-466: The Indian Grand Prix after he broke his suspension on a kerb and then hit the barriers. In the race, he once again collided with Hamilton on the 24th lap of the Indian Grand Prix , for the fifth time this season, this time however with Massa being awarded a drive-through penalty . He retired later after hitting a kerb too hard, the same fate which ended his qualifying session. He rounded off
4992-578: The Porsche Carrera Cup Brasil in 2020 alongside Lico Kaesemodel . In kart racing , Massa hosted the charity Desafio Internacional das Estrelas race until 2014, and was the president of the Commission Internationale de Karting from 2017 to 2022. Massa was born in São Paulo and grew up in Botucatu , in São Paulo countryside. He is of Italian descent. His grandparents come from the town of Cerignola , in
5120-553: The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship starting in 2014. These races are often conducted over long distances, at least 1,000 km (621 mi), and cars are driven by teams of two or more drivers, switching every few hours. Due to the performance difference between production-based sports cars and purpose-built sports prototypes, one race usually involves several racing classes, each fighting for its own championship. Famous sports car races include
5248-653: The World Touring Car Cup . The European Touring Car Cup is a one-day event open to Super 2000 specification touring cars from Europe's many national championships. While Super GT traces its lineage to the now-defunct JGTC , the cars are much more similar to GT3 race cars than proper touring cars, and also have much more aggressive aerodynamics. The Sports Car Club of America 's SPEED World Challenge Touring Car and GT championships are dominant in North America. America's historic Trans-Am Series
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5376-472: The 1980s and 1990s all over the United States. In North America, stock car racing is the most popular form of auto racing. Primarily raced on oval tracks , stock cars vaguely resemble production cars, but are in fact purpose-built racing machines that are built to tight specifications and, together with touring cars, also called Silhouette racing cars . The largest stock car racing governing body
5504-514: The 2006 season, for they had already signed McLaren's Kimi Räikkönen to partner Schumacher for the 2007 season in 2005 . However his future at Ferrari was secured when Michael Schumacher announced in September 2006 that he would retire from Formula One at the end of the season. On 22 October, Massa won his home race at the Brazilian Grand Prix , the first time a Brazilian driver had won at Interlagos since Ayrton Senna in 1993. Massa finished
5632-462: The 24 hours of Le Mans (held annually since 1923) and in the (European) Le Mans series , Asian Le Mans Series and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship . These cars are referred to as LMP (Le Mans prototype) cars with LMH and LMDh cars being run mainly by manufacturers and the slightly less powerful LMP2 cars run by privateer teams. All three Le Mans Series run GT cars in addition to Le Mans Prototypes; these cars have different restrictions than
5760-612: The Bois de Boulogne. On July 22, 1894, the Parisian magazine Le Petit Journal organized what is considered to be the world's first motoring competition, from Paris to Rouen. One hundred and two competitors paid a 10- franc entrance fee. The first American automobile race is generally considered to be the Thanksgiving Day Chicago Times-Herald race of November 28, 1895. Press coverage of
5888-474: The Championship advantage to Massa. Massa secured the win, while Hamilton was still sixth as he came up to the second-to-last corner. He then passed Glock who had just been overtaken by Vettel and who was struggling for grip on his dry tyres, and so moved back into fifth place. This was enough to secure him the Drivers title by a single point. If he had tied points with Massa, by virtue of 6 victories to 5 in
6016-456: The Drivers' Championship. In an August 2022 interview, Massa revealed that after Sauber was taken over by BMW , they offered him a 3-year contract with the team, however Ferrari exercised their option on him to replace the outgoing Rubens Barrichello , who had signed for Honda for the 2006 season. Massa was then released and replaced by his former teammate Heidfeld and joined Ferrari to partner Michael Schumacher . Massa qualified second at
6144-592: The FIA GT cars. Another prototype and GT racing championship exists in the United States; the Grand-Am , which began in 2000, sanctions its own endurance series, the Rolex Sports Car Series , which consists of slower and lower-cost Daytona Prototype race cars compared to LMP and FIA GT cars. The Rolex Sports Car Series and American Le Mans Series announced a merger between the two series forming
6272-771: The Italian Formula Renault series, winning both the Italian and the European Formula Renault championships that year. He could have moved to Formula Three , but instead chose the Euro Formula 3000 , where he won 6 of the 8 races and the 2001 championship. He was then offered a Formula 1 test with the Sauber team, who signed him for 2002. He also drove for Alfa Romeo in the European Touring Car Championship as
6400-705: The UK and upwards of 7000 active drivers. The sport is split into three basic divisions – distinguished by the rules regarding car contact during racing. The most famous championship are the BriSCA F1 Stock Cars . Full-contact formulas include Bangers , Bombers, and Rookie Bangers – and racing features Demolition Derbies, Figure of Eight, and Oval Racing. Semi Contact Formulas include BriSCA F1, F2, and Superstox – where bumpers are used tactically. Non-contact formulas include National Hot Rods, Stock Rods, and Lightning Rods. 2014 Austrian Grand Prix The 2014 Austrian Grand Prix (formally
6528-604: The UK, the major club series are the Monoposto Racing Club , BRSCC F3 (formerly ClubF3, formerly ARP F3), Formula Vee and Club Formula Ford. Each series caters to a section of the market, with some primarily providing low-cost racing, while others aim for an authentic experience using the same regulations as the professional series (BRSCC F3). The SCCA is also responsible for sanctioning single-seater racing in much of North America. There are other categories of single-seater racing, including kart racing , which employs
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#17327972619266656-500: The US, is an economical and rules-restricted version of touring-car racing, mainly used to restrict costs. Numerous production racing categories are based on particular makes of cars. Most series, with a few exceptions, follow the Group N regulation. There are several different series that are run all over the world, most notably, Japan's Super Taikyu and IMSA 's Firehawk Series, which ran in
6784-409: The United States, including the NASCAR Canada Series , NASCAR Mexico Series , NASCAR Whelen Euro Series , and NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race . NASCAR also governs several smaller regional series, such as the Whelen Modified Tour . Modified cars are best described as open-wheel cars. Modified cars have no parts related to the stock vehicle for which they are named after. A number of modified cars display
6912-438: The United States, the most popular series is the IndyCar Series . The cars have traditionally been similar to, though less technologically sophisticated than, F1 cars , with more restrictions on technology aimed at controlling costs. While these cars are not as technologically advanced, they are faster, in part due to their lower downforce compared to F1 cars, and also because they compete on oval race tracks, being able to average
7040-490: The World Series by Renault, succession series of World Series by Nissan ), Formula Three , Formula Palmer Audi and Formula Atlantic . In 2009, the FIA Formula Two Championship brought about the revival of the F2 series. Domestic, or country-specific, series include Formula Three and Formula Renault, with the leading introductory series being Formula Ford . Single-seater racing is not limited merely to professional teams and drivers. There exist many amateur racing clubs. In
7168-411: The championship-winning team. Sauber then re-signed Massa for the 2004 season. In 2004, he scored 12 of Sauber's 34 points, his best result being a fourth place at the Belgian Grand Prix . Giancarlo Fisichella scored the team's other 22 points. Massa remained at Sauber in 2005 . Though he scored only 11 points, he outpaced his teammate Jacques Villeneuve through most of the season, and beat him in
7296-411: The championship. Massa took six wins in his 2008 campaign, but lost the World Drivers' Championship by one point to Hamilton on the last lap of the last race of the season . Details later emerged of race-fixing at the Singapore Grand Prix —commonly known as Crashgate —which Massa claims lost him the title, taking legal action against the FIA in 2023. At the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix , Massa
7424-416: The chaos. After the race, Massa commented cheerfully that it had been an unusually good start to the season for him. Third was his best ever finish at Melbourne. After a storming drive to 7th from 21st on the grid in Malaysia , he took the lead in the world championship. However, a disappointing ninth in China meant that he dropped back to sixth in the standings. Massa qualified 9th in Spain , and finished
7552-412: The chequered flag to finish in sixth place. Three fifth places followed in Valencia , Silverstone – after a late-race battle with Hamilton – and at the German Grand Prix where Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel had a faster pit stop when they both pitted together on the penultimate lap, losing Massa fourth place. Massa added a sixth-place finish in Hungary . Massa out-qualified Alonso for only
7680-452: The conditions. Despite this, he finished over fifteen seconds ahead of Alonso, and was pleased with his improved race performance. He finished 11th in Turkey after a slow pit stop, and retired in Spain due to a gearbox fault. In Monaco , Massa made contact with Lewis Hamilton at the hairpin on lap 32, and crashed in the tunnel a few corners later. While at the Canadian Grand Prix , on the last lap, he overtook Kamui Kobayashi just before
7808-437: The end of 2016 . The abrupt retirement of Nico Rosberg , however, saw Bottas move to Mercedes and Massa postpone his retirement to the end of the 2017 season, having achieved 11 wins, 16 pole positions, 15 fastest laps and 41 podiums in Formula One. Outside of Formula One, Massa competed in Formula E from 2018 to 2020 for Venturi , and has competed in the Stock Car Pro Series in Brazil since 2018 . He also entered
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#17327972619267936-400: The event first aroused significant American interest in the automobile. The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily , Italy near the island's capital of Palermo . Founded in 1906 , it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973. The oldest surviving sports car racing event is
8064-413: The first 6 laps (where the Ferraris moved to the front of the pack). Although Massa managed to stay in the top 3 for the first half of the race, the exceptionally quick graining of the super soft tyres forced him into a 3 stop strategy. Before he was able to complete the race a mechanical problem forced him to retire. In Malaysia , an error of judgement by Ferrari meant that Massa failed to make it through
8192-421: The first corner of the race. Nevertheless, he scored his first career podium at the Nürburgring , finishing third behind Michael Schumacher and Alonso. He also set the fastest lap at Barcelona in 2006. He had four more podium finishes in 2006, and took his first F1 pole position and his first F1 win at the Turkish Grand Prix at the Istanbul Park circuit. Originally, Ferrari had intended to use Massa only for
8320-425: The first half of the race. However, Räikkönen had a developing problem in his exhaust system, which allowed Massa to overtake him and win the race. This win gave Massa the lead in the championship, two points ahead of Robert Kubica, five points ahead of Räikkönen and 10 points ahead of Hamilton. Massa was the first Brazilian to lead the championship since Ayrton Senna in 1993 . In the British Grand Prix , Massa set
8448-438: The first lap and attempting to retire on lap two. However, his car then regained drive and he was able to continue, albeit a lap down. After damaging his front wing halfway through the race, he later retired from Red Bull Racing 's home Grand Prix on lap 34. At the front, the Mercedes cars were able to pass the Williams cars by stopping earlier and undercutting them during the pitstop phases. Rosberg passed both Williams' during
8576-411: The first session of qualifying. In an interview to Rede Globo , Massa revealed that he and the team believed that his initial time was quick enough to proceed into Q2, and refrained from recording further times in order to conserve the car's engine. However, this was not the case, and Massa subsequently ended up in 16th for the race. In the race, Massa was classified as having finished in 9th, just outside
8704-461: The first stops, and Hamilton took second position during the second round, despite suffering two slow pit stops. Sergio Pérez once again drove a good race with a different tyre strategy, only running the super soft compound for the last 16 laps and successfully challenging Kevin Magnussen for sixth place, despite starting sixteenth following a grid penalty. For much of the race both Mercedes cars had to manage overheating brake issues. On lap 55 Hamilton
8832-442: The flaws present in the prior races. With the new aerodynamic parts, Massa managed to qualify in fourth place. He managed to maintain third position for a majority of the race before a computer issue showed the car as having less fuel than it should have, forcing him to conserve fuel in the final 10 laps, allowing Vettel and Alonso to cruise past, only for him to realise that the car had enough fuel for him not to need to conserve, after
8960-554: The invention of the automobile. Races of various types were organized, with the first recorded as early as 1867. Many of the earliest events were effectively reliability trials , aimed at proving these new machines were a practical mode of transport, but soon became an important way for automobile makers to demonstrate their machines. By the 1930s, specialist racing cars had developed. There are now numerous different categories, each with different rules and regulations. The first prearranged match race of two self-powered road vehicles over
9088-518: The last Austrian Grand Prix to be held before 2014, which was in 2003, only three drivers (Fernando Alonso, Kimi Räikkönen, and Jenson Button) returned to drive in the 2014 Austrian Grand Prix. The Grand Prix was contested by eleven teams, each of two drivers. The teams, also known as constructors , were Red Bull Racing , Mercedes , Ferrari , Lotus , McLaren , Force India , Sauber , Toro Rosso , Williams , Marussia and Caterham . Tyre supplier Pirelli brought four different tyre compounds for
9216-542: The last lap. Hamilton crossed the line first, but was penalised 25 seconds by the stewards after the race for cutting the chicane, and so the win went to Massa putting him only two points behind Hamilton. At Italy , Ferrari's home race, the weekend was wet throughout, and Massa qualified only sixth, but Hamilton was down in 15th. During the race, Massa got up to third, but dropped to sixth after he pitted once more than most others. He finished there, but as Hamilton only finished seventh, he narrowed Hamilton's championship lead to
9344-783: The last step up to premier GT-class racing. Other major GT championships include the GT World Challenge America , GT World Challenge Asia , Super GT , and the International GT Open . There are minor regional and national GT series using mainly GT4 and GT3 cars featuring both amateur and professional drivers. Sports prototypes, unlike GT cars, do not rely on road-legal cars as a base. They are closed-wheel and often closed-cockpit purpose-built race cars intended mainly for endurance racing. They have much lower weight, more horsepower and more downforce compared to GT cars, making them much faster. They are raced in
9472-442: The most popular class of GT cars, with premier racing series such as the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA both using GT3 as their top class of GT car. GT3 cars have more significant aero than a GT2 car, but also have less horsepower, typically falling in between 500 and 550 horsepower. GT4 class cars have very little aerodynamics and less horsepower than GT3 machinery, typically around 450 horsepower. GT4 typically serves as
9600-403: The next three seasons, Massa left Ferrari at the conclusion of his 2013 campaign, having contributed to two World Constructors' Championships . Massa partnered Valtteri Bottas at Williams in 2014 , taking his first pole position in six years at the Austrian Grand Prix amongst several podiums. He took multiple podiums the following season with Williams, before announcing his retirement at
9728-464: The oldest car racing series still active in the world. The first TC competition took place in 1931 with 12 races, each in a different province. Future Formula One star Juan Manuel Fangio (Chevrolet) won the 1940 and 1941 editions of the TC. It was during this time that the series' Chevrolet-Ford rivalry began, with Ford acquiring most of its historical victories. Over the last few years, auto racing has seen
9856-511: The oldest existing purpose-built and still in use automobile race course in the United States is the 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km) Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana . It is the largest capacity sports venue of any variety worldwide, with a top capacity of some 257,000+ seated spectators. NASCAR was founded by Bill France Sr. on February 21, 1948, with the help of several other drivers. The first NASCAR " Strictly Stock " race ever
9984-521: The opening race in Bahrain , and came from 21st position to 5th in Malaysia, beating teammate Michael Schumacher, who had started from 14th. In Bahrain, however, in both Saturday practice and the race, Massa spun, narrowly missing Fernando Alonso , the eventual winner of the race. At the Australian GP he crashed his Ferrari in qualifying, then collided with Christian Klien and Nico Rosberg at
10112-470: The pace at the first race of 2008 in Australia . Massa qualified fourth, but spun off at the first corner of the first lap. On lap 26 he collided with David Coulthard and eventually retired due to engine failure. In Malaysia , he qualified on pole, half a second clear of Räikkönen in second. He led from pole for the first 16 laps but was jumped by Räikkönen in the pitstops. He was still in contention for
10240-473: The pit stops, Massa was fuelled to the end of the race and was struggling, holding Kubica up. The track dried out and Massa had to pit for slick tyres while Kubica took his second fuel stop at the same time and jumped him. Massa thus finished third behind Hamilton and Kubica. In the Canadian Grand Prix , Massa qualified in 6th place. In the race there was a safety car due to an incident involving Adrian Sutil . All drivers pitted, but Massa had to pit twice due to
10368-479: The points-paying positions, after the race was abandoned on the 33rd lap due to torrential rain, poor light, and timing delays. Massa also failed to score in the next two races, retiring from the Chinese Grand Prix with electrical problems, and finishing well outside of the point scoring positions in 14th in Bahrain , due to a KERS problem and damaging his car's front-wing on the first lap. In Spain , Ferrari arrived with an upgraded car which attempted to fix many of
10496-469: The previous two years he had taken a win and a second place at Interlagos. At the last race of the season, the Brazilian Grand Prix , Massa was seven points behind Lewis Hamilton, meaning that Massa had to either finish first or second to win, and Hamilton had to be outside the top 5 – the same position Räikkönen had been in a year earlier, when he won the championship. Massa qualified on pole, while Räikkönen qualified third, just ahead of Hamilton. There
10624-471: The province of Foggia , Italy . He began karting when he was 8 years old, finishing fourth in his first season. He continued in national and international championships for 7 years, and in 1998 moved into Formula Chevrolet, finishing the Brazilian championship in fifth place. During the following season, he won 3 of the 10 races and claimed the championship. In 2000, Massa moved to Europe to compete in
10752-463: The quickest time in first practice but immediately crashed. He had his season's worst qualifying, starting in 9th. In the wet race, while Hamilton dominated and Räikkönen finished fourth, Massa spun five times and finished last in 13th, over a lap down behind both his rivals. And so, at the end of the halfway stage of the season, Hamilton, Massa and Räikkönen were deadlocked on 48 points, with Robert Kubica only two points behind them. The tenth round of
10880-545: The race 6th despite contact with Karun Chandhok which damaged his front wing. In Monaco , Massa was very quick during practice and qualified fourth. He got off to a great start and got alongside Robert Kubica , but had to yield the racing line at the first corner and finished the race in fourth, which promoted him to fifth in the championship with 61 points. The next race, the Turkish Grand Prix – at which Massa has historically excelled – ended for him in
11008-618: The race Massa's engineer Rob Smedley sent a radio message to Massa stating "Hold Hamilton as much as we can. Destroy his race as much as we can. Come on, boy..." Hamilton and Massa collided at the next race in Japan , damaging Massa's front wing endplate, but he eventually finished in seventh place. After the race, Massa called for the FIA to take action on Hamilton. After finishing sixth at the Korean Grand Prix , he crashed in qualifying for
11136-574: The race eighth. Massa collided with Vitantonio Liuzzi on the first lap of the Japanese Grand Prix but finished third in Korea . He finished a disappointing 15th in Brazil , and tenth in Abu Dhabi . Massa ended the season ranked sixth in the Drivers' Championship. In June, Massa agreed to a contract extension until the end of the 2012 season. Massa remained with Scuderia Ferrari in 2011 , and again
11264-477: The race from 22nd position due to these problems and a 10-grid-slot penalty for the engine change. He employed a one pitstop strategy for the race and finished in sixth place. Massa's problems continued in Malaysia, where despite qualifying on pole position, the McLarens of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton overtook him at turn one. Massa ran off the track while attempting to overtake Hamilton, and lost two more places, dropping down to fifth place, where he finished
11392-417: The race these positions were maintained until Massa received instructions from Ferrari engineer Rob Smedley , saying "Fernando is faster than you. Can you confirm you understood that message?". Shortly afterwards, on lap 49, Massa allowed Alonso to take the lead, and consequently to win the race. Smedley then added after the pass 'Ok mate good lad, stick with him now, sorry.' The incident strongly suggested that
11520-531: The race. However, his season subsequently improved, as he won the Grands Prix of Bahrain and Spain , both from pole position, and finished third in Monaco . The race stewards at the Canadian Grand Prix disqualified Massa for leaving the pit lane while the red light was showing. After this disqualification, he won one more race at the Turkish Grand Prix , and finished on the podium at six more races, including
11648-401: The race. The much upgraded car showed its pace by setting the third fastest time of the race after the two Brawns and in front of both Red Bull cars. Monaco was another step in terms of improvement for the car as Massa finished fourth in the race, with fastest race lap. After qualifying a disappointing 8th, Massa produced a mistake free drive to net his first podium position of the season with
11776-591: The race; two dry compounds, the soft "primes" and the supersoft "options", and two wet-weather compounds , the intermediate and full wet. The drag reduction system (DRS) had two activation zones for the race; one was on the start/finish straight from the final to first corners, and the second on the straight between turns 2 and 3. Going into the race, Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg led the Drivers' Championship with 140 points, ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton on 118 points and Daniel Ricciardo on 79. Fernando Alonso
11904-569: The reduction of the schedule from 56 to 34 races a year, established 1972 as the beginning of NASCAR's "modern era". The IMSA GT Series evolved into the American Le Mans Series , which ran its first season in 1998. The European races eventually became the closely related European Le Mans Series , both of which mix prototypes and GTs. Turismo Carretera (TC) is a popular touring car racing series in Argentina, and one of
12032-550: The run down to the first corner. He had the race in control from that point, and built up a five-second lead over Hamilton. When Hamilton suffered a puncture, Massa was left 20 seconds in front, but with three laps remaining he suffered an engine failure and retired. The twelfth round of the season, the European Grand Prix was in Valencia, Spain. Massa took pole position comfortably at this new circuit, and led from
12160-500: The running out there on the track in front of his fans, proving he is worthy indeed of the world title, but also for his maturity and sportsmanship off the track. He's a great champion and a great man." Felipe Massa gave Ferrari's 2009 challenger – the F60 – its shakedown test at Mugello on 12 January 2009. Ferrari confirmed that it would equip the F60 with KERS several days before
12288-477: The safety car came out, he finished 11th and out of the points. In Silverstone , Massa qualified seventh, but on the first lap he developed a puncture after contact in the new section of the circuit. He ended up in a disappointing fifteenth, as the last car on the lead lap. At the 2010 German Grand Prix Ferrari were investigated for team orders as Massa took the race lead early, ahead of Fernando Alonso in second and Sebastian Vettel close behind in third. During
12416-493: The season opening Australian Grand Prix . Friday practice session did not begin so well for Massa as he recorded the 7th and 10th fastest times. Saturday qualifying fared little better as he lined up 7th (although was promoted to 6th as Glock's Toyota was disqualified). In the race the Ferrari's poor ability to handle its tyres lead to their aggressive race strategy of super soft/medium/medium compounds paying little dividends after
12544-411: The season third with 80 points, behind world champion Alonso and Ferrari teammate Schumacher. Massa topped the time sheets on five occasions and set the fastest lap for four circuits during the 2007 pre-season testing. However, his 2007 season began with problems. At the season opening Australian Grand Prix , he suffered a gearbox problem during qualifying and required an engine change. Massa started
12672-453: The season was in Germany . Massa qualified 2nd behind Hamilton. He stayed second and was set to finish there until a crash involving Timo Glock brought out the safety car. Due to a miscommunication, Hamilton stayed out while the others, led by Massa pitted. However, when all the stops were over, Massa was behind Nelson Piquet Jr. who had already pitted as he was on a one-stopper. Then, when
12800-425: The season, Massa would have won the title. Following the 2008 seasons F1.com called Massa "no more the nearly man", saying "No more the Ferrari number two, Massa is now a contender". His maturity was also praised by Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo , commenting "I can only imagine how painful that moment must have been for him. However, I would like to give him my very special compliments, not only for dominating
12928-497: The season. As a result of the race, Nico Rosberg extended his championship lead to 29 points, the largest it had been all season. Lewis Hamilton admitted he was frustrated by his slow pit stops, but said that second was still a "good result" considering his qualifying position. Fernando Alonso , who managed to finish closely behind Felipe Massa in the Williams and with a smaller gap to Mercedes than usual, later described
13056-399: The season. In Spain , Massa qualified third behind Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso . He passed Alonso at the start and got up to second behind Räikkönen. He stayed on his teammate's tail for the whole race, but was unable to pass or get ahead in the stops. Massa took pole position at the next round at Turkey . He led from the start, and maintained the lead during the round of pit stops, but
13184-565: The second time in 2011 , in Belgium ; but he fell from fourth to eighth in the race. Massa took another sixth-place finish at the Italian Grand Prix , after he was spun round by Webber on lap five. Hamilton made contact with Massa for the third time in 2011, when attempting to overtake him for eighth in the Singapore Grand Prix . Hamilton punctured Massa's right-rear tyre with his front wing, an incident for which Hamilton received
13312-440: The soft Pirelli tyres. Massa again made a fine start to the race and ran ahead of Alonso until his first pit-stop. A problem with a tyre-change cost him time but he finished ahead of Alonso in fifth, after Alonso damaged his front wing against Lewis Hamilton 's right-rear tyre. In China , Massa improved again; at one point looking like challenging for the race win, before settling for sixth as Ferrari's two-stop strategy did not suit
13440-759: The sport, former Formula 2 champion Jonathan Palmer reopened the F2 category again; most drivers have graduated from the Formula Palmer Audi series. The category is officially registered as the FIA Formula Two championship. Most rounds have two races and are support races to the FIA World Touring Car Championship . Touring car racing is a style of road racing that is run with production-derived four-seat race cars. The lesser use of aerodynamics means following cars have
13568-520: The start and ran in fifth place for a while, much to the frustration of Jenson Button , who had a much quicker car but was unable to pass him. A lack of pace dropped Massa down the order to an eventual ninth-place finish, which became seventh after the Saubers of Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Pérez were disqualified. The Malaysian Grand Prix saw a better performance from Massa, who qualified seventh and showed greatly improved race pace, particularly on
13696-528: The start, Massa led the field into the first corner, with Rosberg passing Bottas, but being repassed the following straight. Hamilton gained five places on the first lap, after passing two cars on the run into the first corner and two further cars heading towards turn 2, before taking another spot from Fernando Alonso at turn 7. As a result, he ended the first lap only one position and 0.9 seconds behind his teammate, despite starting ninth. Sebastian Vettel once again suffered from technical problems, losing drive on
13824-404: The start. However, during one of his pit stops he was released early and almost touched wheels with Adrian Sutil who was already coming down the pitlane. Massa won the race and also set the fastest lap. After the race, the stewards decided to fine Massa €10,000 for the incident with Sutil, but the victory stood and he was only 6 points behind Hamilton as well as being 7 ahead of Räikkönen. The race
13952-414: The team for two seasons before signing with Ferrari in 2006 to partner Michael Schumacher . Massa took his maiden win from pole position at the Turkish Grand Prix , and became the first Brazilian driver since Ayrton Senna to win his home Grand Prix . He then took several wins in a four-way title battle with Lewis Hamilton , Fernando Alonso and new teammate Kimi Räikkönen , with the latter taking
14080-510: The victory battle and was chasing Räikkönen until he spun off and retired on lap 31 while in second. Massa went into the Bahrain Grand Prix (where he had won in 2007 ) with no points. Robert Kubica beat him to pole in qualifying. but at the start, Massa passed Kubica before the first corner. Räikkönen soon got up to second but he could not do a repeat of Malaysia. Massa was quicker and won by 3 seconds to score his first points of
14208-404: The year with two fifth-place finishes in Abu Dhabi and Brazil . Racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing , motor racing , or automobile racing ) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non-racing disciplines. Auto racing has existed since
14336-474: Was Massa's 100th Grand Prix entry. The next race was Belgium , Massa qualified second behind Hamilton. He lost a place at the start to Räikkönen and stayed in third until lap 42 of 44 when Hamilton passed Räikkönen for the lead, just after cutting a chicane. The two had more battles throughout that lap, which resulted in the Finn crashing out, promoting Massa to second, despite the Brazilian dropping nine seconds on
14464-404: Was a collision, with Hamilton spinning down to the back, and Massa dropping down to seventh. He was given a drive-through penalty for the incident, and found himself in 14th. He made a charge up the order, setting the fastest lap on his way to getting 8th and one point. This became seventh after a 25-second time penalty was issued to Sébastien Bourdais , who was judged by the stewards to have caused
14592-440: Was a rain shower just before the start of the race, and all drivers started on intermediates. Massa maintained the lead, and after 10 laps everyone had to change to slicks on a drying track. Although the order was shuffled, Massa still led. He dominated the rest of the race, set the fastest lap and won by 13 seconds even though everyone had to change to intermediates after a late rain shower. Hamilton, meanwhile, struggled for pace. He
14720-415: Was created in 2006. The group was an assemblage of drivers from different racing disciplines and formed for an MTV reality pilot, which was shot at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca . In December 2005, the FIA gave approval to Superleague Formula racing, which debuted in 2008, whereby the racing teams are owned and run by prominent sports clubs such as A.C. Milan and Liverpool F.C. After 25 years away from
14848-408: Was decided Massa needed a titanium plate inserted into his skull to strengthen it for racing. Ferrari consultant and seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher was asked to take over Massa's race seat during his recovery, but his comeback was prevented by neck injuries sustained during a motorcycle accident earlier in the year. Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer was confirmed as Massa's substitute for
14976-477: Was fourth on 69 points while Sebastian Vettel was fifth on 60 points. In the Constructors' Championship Mercedes were leading with 258 points and Red Bull were second on 139 points. Ferrari with 87 points and Force India with 77 points contended for third place, with McLaren fifth on 66 points. Mercedes had so far dominated the championship, winning six out of the previous seven races, with Ricciardo winning
15104-441: Was given the green light to go, but the refueller was still refuelling the car. Massa left with the fuel rig attached and so had to stop at the end of the pitlane. The mechanics ran the length of the pitlane and finally removed the rig, but Massa was now last. He was then given a drive-through penalty for an unsafe release, and was 15 seconds behind the rest of the field. His race ruined, he finished 13th and Hamilton who finished third
15232-744: Was held on June 19, 1949, at Daytona Beach, Florida , U.S.. From 1962, sports cars temporarily took a back seat to GT cars , with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) replacing the World Championship for Sports Cars with the International Championship for GT Manufacturers. From 1962 through 2003, NASCAR's premier series was called the Winston Cup Series, sponsored by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company cigarette brand Winston . The changes that resulted from RJR's involvement, as well as
15360-411: Was held up by backmarkers, losing around a second. During the final laps, Hamilton was slowly gaining on teammate Rosberg, and despite having lost a total of 1.9 seconds to his teammate through slower pit stops he began the final lap 1.1 seconds behind. However, he was not close enough to his teammate to challenge him and backed off at the end of the lap. Rosberg took the chequered flag for his third win of
15488-421: Was lying fourth for most of the race until the late shower, behind Massa, Alonso and Räikkönen. During the late shower, Timo Glock gambled on staying out on drys. He was fourth with Hamilton fifth. With three laps to go, Massa still led with Hamilton 5th, which would be enough for Hamilton to win the Championship. But Hamilton then made a mistake and was passed by Sebastian Vettel , demoting him to 6th and handing
15616-477: Was now seven points ahead of him. At the Japanese Grand Prix Massa qualified 5th on the grid, while Hamilton took pole position. At the start there was an incident between Hamilton and Räikkönen, dropping the former to sixth. Massa stayed fifth, a place in front of his rival. On the second lap, as Massa was stuck behind the slower car of Jarno Trulli , Hamilton tried to pass him. The result
15744-564: Was partnered with Fernando Alonso . He drove his new car – the Ferrari 150º Italia – for the first time on 29 January 2011, undertaking a shakedown of the car at the Fiorano Circuit . At the Australian Grand Prix , Massa endured a poor start to the season at what has traditionally been his bogey race. Qualifying eighth, over 0.6 seconds behind teammate Alonso, Massa managed to get ahead of Alonso and several other drivers at
15872-409: Was passed by Lewis Hamilton 's three-stopping McLaren at the start of the second stint. Hamilton pulled away, but he did not have the pace to take the lead that was needed to make his third stop and still come out ahead of Massa. Massa was seven seconds up the road by then and took his second win of the season, and his third consecutive at the circuit. At Monaco Massa qualified on pole and built up
16000-558: Was seriously injured during qualifying when a suspension spring from the Brawn BGP 001 of Rubens Barrichello struck his helmet at 162 mph (261 km/h), and was replaced by Luca Badoer and Giancarlo Fisichella for the remainder of the 2009 season. Massa returned to Ferrari in 2010 to partner Fernando Alonso , briefly leading the championship after the Malaysian Grand Prix . After struggling for form over
16128-469: Was the fastest in the third free practice session with a lap time of 1:09.848. Williams driver Felipe Massa became the first driver other than Hamilton and Rosberg to claim pole position in 2014 with a Q3 lap time of 1:08.759. He was joined on the front row by teammate Valtteri Bottas; it was the team's first front row lockout since Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher did so, at the 2003 German Grand Prix at Hockenheim . Hamilton failed to post
16256-578: Was the world's first purpose-built motor racing circuit , opening in January 1906. The pear-shaped track was close to a mile in length, with slightly banked curves and a gravel surface of crushed cement. Brooklands , in Surrey, England, was the first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing venue, opening in June 1907. It featured a 4.43 km (2.75 mi) concrete track with high-speed banked corners. One of
16384-455: Was won by Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg after starting from third position. His teammate Lewis Hamilton finished second with Valtteri Bottas third for the Williams team. Felipe Massa started the race from pole position, his first since the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix and the last of his career. Massa had one previous participation in an Austrian Grand Prix, back in 2002, while from
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