Felipe Massa

Felipe Massa (born 25 April 1981 in São Paulo, Brazil) is a Brazilian professional racing driver best known for his appearances in Formula One.

Formula One

2002: Sauber

Massa made his Formula One debut in 2002 for Sauber, but his two outings didn't really show much promise. Massa was then promptly demoted to test driver, and he was replaced by Sebastién Bourdais for the rest of the season.

2003-2006: Ferrari

Massa then became Ferrari's tester in 2003, a position he held until the end of the 2006 season when he opted to join Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.

2007: McLaren

Formula One was rocked by a scandal which exposed the fact that several McLaren employees, amongst them Felipe Massa, possessed confidential Ferrari data, and were actively passing it on to others within the team. After a court hearing from the FIA on 13 September 2007, McLaren were found guilty and ordered to pay a record $200 million fine, were excluded from the constructor's championship and lost all their points and were given 50-point penalties for the upcoming two seasons. Massa was also given a three year ban from all FIA competitions.

2013-2015: Mercedes

Massa made his return in 2013, signing a three year contract with Mercedes. Massa scored a win towards the end of his first season back at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Massa's second season back was far better, taking four wins on his way to fifth in the championship.

His final season back would yield but a single podium, a second place in Germany.

IndyCar

Massa made a high profile return to top-tier motorsport when he signed for the #26 Andretti Autosport team in the 2019 IndyCar Series. Massa was one of several former Formula One drivers in the field in what was considered one of the most competitive Rookie championships in years. Massa managed a best result of 2nd place in the Mexican race at Parque Fundidora - which would end up being the best of any Mazda-engined driver in that year. Massa finished the season in twelfth place, third in the Rookie standings.

Massa returned for a second season in 2020.