Berlin - Former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa does not believe Sebastian Vettel's time at the Italian Formula One team can be classed a failure.
Germany's Vettel, who won four world drivers' titles at Red Bull before moving to Ferrari in 2015, is leaving the Maranello outfit at the end of the season with his future uncertain.
"You cannot forget that the last time Ferrari won the (constructors') championship was in 2008," Massa, who was pipped to the drivers' title that year by Lewis Hamilton, told Britain's Sky Sports recently.
"It's true that many good drivers passing through the team were not able to win.
"So it's not only related to Sebastian. Sebastian did many great races, he won many races or he fought."
The emergence of Charles Leclerc at Ferrari has appeared to have hastened the departure of Vettel, who is being replaced by McLaren's Carlos Sainz.
Massa, who retired from F1 in 2017, believes the German could walk away from the sport with no obviously enticing driver jobs available.
"Sebastian is a driver and a guy who is always very focused on what he wants. So I'm not surprised that maybe he decides even to stop," Massa said.
A seat is possibly free at Renault after Daniel Ricciardo signed for McLaren for next year. Racing Point's rebrand as Aston Martin may also appeal to Vettel, according to some pundits.
dpa
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