Felipe Massa warned that the pressures on young drivers to bring sponsorship is bad for Formula One.

Speaking during a video discussion on the official Ferrari website, Massa said it was “very difficult to speak” about the circumstances of Timo Glock’s departure from Marussia as it was “another driver and another team… which I don’t even know how is the situation in another team.”

“It’s a very small team as well,” he added. “So I think it’s very difficult to comment. But for sure if he decide not to race in Formula One it’s for a reason. And if the team decide it’s for a reason.”

“Maybe it can be on the commercial side. We know that many drivers now to arrive in Formula One they need to have sponsors, they need to have money, especially in the small team. And honestly this is not a great thing for Formula One and maybe it is part of the commercial side.”

Massa, who starts his eighth season with Ferrari this year, says he has no regrets about his F1 career so far: “I don’t think I [would] change anything. I’ve had a fantastic career. For sure I don’t have a championship yet, I hope, but I’ve had a great career.

“I won many championships before Formula One, I won many races in Formula One, [fought] for the championship. Sure I will try everything I can to fight again and win the championship. I think everything I had, everything I did, was an experience. I learned a lot with everything in the good times and the bad times as well. So I don’t think I will change anything.

“I’m not a frustrated guy, you know, I’m a very happy man and I’m very happy with what I make to now. For sure you always want more and I always want more and I will try everything to achieve more than what I have. I don’t really – in fact I can’t change anything and I don’t really need to do that because I’m happy with what I did.”

“You’re in the top of the top… sometimes we forget that”

Asked if he was dissatisfied with his performance compared to team mate Fernando Alonso in the three years they have been together, Massa said: “Always when you are not in front of your team mate or whoever is racing for you, you are not one hundred percent happy.

“You are always one hundred percent happy when you are in front and winning the race, winning the the championship or whatever. When you are in front it makes your the most happy guy in the world.

“But I think having a strong team mate makes you better as well. I think you learn a lot more. I think definitely when you are in a top team for sure you’re going to have a strong team mate.

“When you drive for Ferrari you’re going to have a strong team mate. “This is what happened in all these years I am racing for Ferrari so I have Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso. Definitely great drivers and are still racing together.”

He added: “I think you are always comparing with some driver. You are in the top level in your work so many people sometimes they think ‘maybe he’s behind his team mate for two-tenths’, sometimes people think it’s negative but you’re in the top of the top for your work. Sometimes we forget that.

“I think when you are behind you need to work to be in front, that’s what I’m doing. I will try everything to be in front of my team mate but also everybody.”

2013 F1 season

Images ?�?� Ferrari/Ercole Colombo