JUNE 9, 2017

Massa not mourning Ecclestone exit

Felipe Massa says he does not mourn the departure from F1's day to day running of former supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

Felipe Massa says he does not mourn the departure from F1's day to day running of former supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

Ecclestone has been critical of the early changes made by his successors Chase Carey, Ross Brawn and Sean Bratches, but F1 veteran Massa said it was a necessary shift.

"Don't get me wrong -- I think Bernie Ecclestone is a genius," the Williams driver said.

"But the world has changed a lot. Despite all his genius, I think Bernie does not fully understand all of the current trends with his 86 years. It is important to move now in a progressive way," Massa added.

He said a great example of how to make F1 "more popular and more interesting" was the young Ferrari fan who got to meet Kimi Raikkonen during a recent grand prix.

"We need a younger outlook and a more professional approach in certain areas," said Massa.

"This year the drivers have been met two or three times by the new owners in the briefings, because for many years we often had proposals but the answer was always 'no'."

(GMM)