Williams extends Massa contract for 2016 season

Williams has reportedly taken up its contract option on Brazilian veteran Felipe Massa for the 2016 Formula 1 season.

That is the claim of Diario Motorsport, a specialist Portuguese publication that in 2013 also correctly reported that the Brazilian driver was set to switch to the Grove team from Ferrari.

Now, hot on the heels of speculation Massa’s current teammate Valtteri Bottas is heading to Ferrari next year, it is reported that Massa is definitely staying at Williams.

Earlier in July, 34-year-old Massa said he was hoping to stay at the British team, “I like to work here,. The team has treated me with great respect, we have performed well. I have not been talking to anyone else. Why change something?”

Just before the latest Bottas rumours exploded, the Finn had said Williams is going through “difficult times” as the much bigger-budgeted Mercedes and Ferrari aggressively develop their cars.

But Massa told UOL Esporte: “I think the pace we had at Silverstone shows that we know how to work, how to develop the car and we are on track to keep improving and be stronger than Ferrari at every race. We are still in the fight.”