Skip to main content

Ferrari extend Massa contract until end of 2013

updated 8:12 PM EDT, Tue October 16, 2012
Brazilian Felipe Massa has signed a one-year contract extension that will keep him at Ferrari until the end of 2013 at least
Brazilian Felipe Massa has signed a one-year contract extension that will keep him at Ferrari until the end of 2013 at least
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Felipe Massa to stay at Ferrari until end of 2013 at least
  • Ferrari hope move will quash speculation linking them with Sebastian Vettel
  • Announcement also made in bid to help Fernando Alonso win first Ferrari drivers' title since 2007

(CNN) -- Felipe Massa will stay at Ferrari until the end of the 2013 season after extending his contract with the stable by one year.

The Brazilian, who followed up his first podium finish in two years at Suzuka by finishing fourth in Sunday's Korean Grand Prix, agreed the deal after meeting with Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo at Maranello on Tuesday morning.

"I am very happy to have reached this agreement," Massa, who has been with Ferrari since 2006, told the team's official website.

"Ferrari is my racing family and throughout my entire time in Formula 1, I have always driven cars powered by engines built in Maranello: I can't see myself driving cars propelled by anything else!"

Formula One strives for green future
Fernando Alonso recovers from car crash
Singapore: The future of F1 finance?

The announcement comes a day after Di Montezemolo attempted to quash media reports linking Germany's double world champion Sebastian Vettel with a move to Ferrari in 2014 by saying he didn't want "two roosters in the same hen house".

Read: Ferrari chief dampens Vettel switch talk

With two-time champion Fernando Alonso currently Ferrari's number one driver, the long-standing chief of the Italian firm explained his comments by saying that he wanted two drivers who would be racing "for Ferrari and not for themselves."

In their statement, Ferrari said that "one of the reasons that pushed Montezemolo and Massa to decide on announcing the renewal today (was) to put an end to all the speculation."

The constructor added that it hopes that the decision to finalize the 2013 line-up in plenty of time will help Alonso focus on winning Ferrari's first drivers' championship since Kimi Räikkönen won the title in 2007.

The Spaniard currently lies second in the championship standing -- his tally of 209 points just six fewer than Vettel's with four races of the season left -- while Massa is down in ninth place with 81 points, 30 of which have come in the last fortnight.

"He has been part of our family for over a decade and has shown, especially in this recent part of the season, that he is once again competitive at the highest level, which is what is expected of every driver who gets behind the wheel of a Ferrari," said Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicai.

"We have always supported Felipe, even in the most difficult moments of his career and we are certain of his worth and are sure he will know how to repay the confidence this renewal proves we have in him."

One of the most testing moments in Massa's career came when he suffered severe head injuries after a crash in qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, with Ferrari leaving the Brazilian's place open ahead of his return the following season.

ADVERTISEMENT
Part of complete coverage on
Track the new Formula One season as it progresses, circuit by circuit, race by race.
updated 9:24 AM EDT, Thu March 14, 2013
Can the new F1 season live up to last year's standards? Find out the need-to-know stories for 2013.
updated 7:48 AM EDT, Thu March 14, 2013
CNN looks ahead to the Australian Grand Prix, the first F1 race of the 2013 season.
updated 1:24 PM EST, Thu February 28, 2013
Adrian Sutil will be Force India's second driver for the 2013 Formula One season, pledging to make the most of his "second chance".
updated 8:52 PM EST, Fri March 1, 2013
Christmas Abbott, 5'3 and 115 pounds, is the first woman to join a NASCAR pit crew team.
updated 7:35 PM EST, Mon February 11, 2013
The first race in Melbourne is just around the corner and Formula 1 teams are gearing up for a season which promises to be as technical as it is tactical.
updated 7:19 AM EST, Fri March 1, 2013
When the new Formula 1 season gets underway in March, for the first time there will be a woman running a team's entire operations from track to boardroom.
updated 7:22 AM EST, Mon January 21, 2013
The Dakar Rally is one of the world's most dangerous motorsport races, and this year's edition has already been marred by tragic deaths.
updated 2:20 PM EST, Thu January 31, 2013
The famous circuit of Nurburgring is confirmed Thursday as the venue for the 2013 German Grand Prix after reaching a deal with F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone.
updated 10:36 AM EST, Tue November 27, 2012
It did not take very long for the inevitable question to be asked -- just how good a driver is Sebastian Vettel?
updated 9:49 AM EST, Thu January 24, 2013
Changes to tires will make Formula 1 racing faster with more overtaking in 2013, according to the sport's official tire supplier Pirelli.
updated 4:35 AM EST, Mon November 26, 2012
Fangio
Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, and contemporary pacesetters Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso were all contenders.
updated 8:32 AM EST, Fri November 23, 2012
Who is the greatest F1 driver of all time? Past and present drivers give their verdict on the contenders to CNN.
CNN has asked Formula One stars past and present, "Who is the best driver of all time?" Now we want to hear from you.
updated 4:48 AM EST, Tue November 20, 2012
A triumphant Lewis Hamilton called Sunday's United States Grand Prix the best race of 2012 but for many it was more important than that -- it was Formula One being reborn in the USA.
CNN's Ben Wyatt says Sebastian Vettel or Fernando Alonso will seal their place in F1 history in Brazil this weekend.
updated 2:41 PM EST, Sun November 25, 2012
The F1 title race will be fought over 20 races this season. Keep track of the latest standings in the drivers' and manufacturers' championships.
updated 10:20 AM EST, Fri November 16, 2012
The Formula One roadshow rolls into Austin, Texas this weekend for the first race of ten over the coming decade
Mario Andretti says the key to rekindling F1 in the U.S. is a buzzword that has been flying around Washington faster than a Ferrari -- stability.
ADVERTISEMENT