Felipe Massa has raced with Ferrari since 2006. He won 11 races for the Scuderia, but since a freak accident in 2009 that nearly killed him, he hasn't won any. Ferrari is replacing him with Kimi Raikkonen next year, but Felipe isn't out of F1. He's going to Williams. Good for him.
Massa comes off as one of the nicest guys in the entire F1 paddock. He's always smiling and joyful, and his relationship with race engineer Rob Smedley is nearly a comedy act.
Ferrari obviously like him since they've kept him on the team through the last few rough seasons, but the time has come to split. For a while it looked like Massa was going to be without a ride, but Williams threw him a lifeline.
He'll partner with Valteri Bottas, which means that current driver and Venezuelan cash cow Pastor Maldonado has been thrown to the curb. It hasn't been confirmed, but Maldonado's dismissal might have something to do with the current problems with sports sponsorships in the Venezuelan government.
But what's bad for Maldonado is good for Massa. Good to see one of my favorites is still on the grid. Now I hope Williams can give him the car he deserves.