Felipe Massa insists the decision from his Williams Martini Racing team to give test outings to both Robert Kubica and Paul di Resta to decide who partners Lance Stroll in 2018 will have no effect on his own chances of remaining with the Grove-based team for fifth consecutive season.
Kubica and di Resta will both test Williams’ 2014 FW36 chassis in between the Japanese and United States Grand Prix as Williams look at possible drivers for next season, but Massa says Williams knows what he can bring to the team, and that testing a four-year-old car will not give too many answers about the representative pace of his rivals for the drive.
“I think it doesn’t change anything for me,” said Massa on Motorsport.com. “Williams know 100 percent what I can give for the team and even if you do a test with cars that are four years before, they are completely different. You cannot evaluate too much.
“I am enjoying doing the best I can in the last races this year, and I don’t know what is going to happen next year. I am quite keen to do another season. I think I can do it in a great way, I think I can give a lot to the team like I did already.
“But I don’t decide, the team decides. I have given a lot to the team, and F1 as well, and if people are happy I will stay.”
Massa hopes for the decision on his future to be made before his home Grand Prix in Brazil in November, although he acknowledges there is no deadline to get his signature on a new contract.
“We don’t have a deadline,” added Massa. “Definitely I think it will be good for the team, and also for myself, if we know what is going to happen before the race in Brazil.
“We’ll see if that is possible, but we hope so.”
