11-Time F1 Grand Prix Winner Felipe Massa Signs On For Formula E

Had enough of Formula One? Check out Formula E. That goes not only for fans, but for drivers too. And now another former Grand Prix pilot is making his way to the electric racing series.

Not just any driver, either: we’re talking about Felipe Massa. Arguably one of the top drivers in recent F1 history, the Brazilian has won no fewer than eleven F1 grands prix. And he came close – really close – to winning the championship in 2008, when he narrowly lost to Lewis Hamilton by just a single point.

That wasn’t the only time he finished near the top of the standings, either. He placed third in 2006 behind Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher, and fourth in 2007 after Kimi Raikkonen (plus Hamilton and Alonso). Over the course of his career, he amassed an impressive 1,167 championship points.

Now, having ended his sixteen-year-long career in F1 with Williams, he’s signed on with the Venturi team to drive in Formula E starting next season. The deal is for three years, so suffice it to say, he’ll be sticking around for a bit.

Not The First F1 Driver In Formula E

“I’m very happy to be joining the Venturi Formula E Team and the Formula E championship, which has become a magnificent competition in such a short space of time,” said Massa. “For some years now, I’ve been clear about my interest in this innovative, forward-looking discipline that’s developing exponentially. I especially like the format of race meetings, the city-centre circuits and the contact with the fans. I can’t wait to take part in testing at the end of the month.”

He won’t be the only former F1 driver in the sport, either. He’ll be joining several of his old rivals there, including Lucas di Grassi and Sebastien Buemi – both of which have already been confirmed for the forthcoming fifth season (at Audi and Nissan, respectively). The fourth season currently under way has also included former grand prix pilots Nelson Piquet, Nick Heidfeld, Kamui Kobayashi, Jean-Eric Vergne, and Jerome d’Ambrosio. And previous seasons have included even more.