What now for Felipe Massa?

Felipe Massa might have been offered words of encouragement from Rubens Barrichello about there being life after Ferrari, but what chance has he got of securing the competitive seat he so desires?

When Barrichello quit the Scuderia at the end of 2005, it was done on his terms: he was fed up of life in Michael Schumacher's shadow so had gone out and secured a Honda contract.

Although that move brought some initial frustrations as the Japanese manufacturer struggled, it eventually offered him another chance at the title when he fought hard with Jenson Button at Brawn GP in 2009.

Massa is facing a different situation, because the decision to leave Ferrari was made for him after his bosses decided their future was best served by Kimi Raikkonen instead. He was pushed, rather than jumped.

This late decision means that a number of options that Massa could have targeted are already gone, as he emerges late onto a driver market where teams have already started signing off their plans for next year.

Mercedes and Red Bull are now locked down and, if Massa is serious in his desire to only race for a competitive team, then the only realistic options are Lotus and McLaren.

THE IMPORTANCE OF REPUTATION

In F1, it's often said that you're only as good as your last race - and Massa has to sell his services after a campaign where he has not been consistently on song.

For all the acknowledgement he has received over the last few weeks for his brilliance in 2008 - and how well he handled race victory and title defeat in Brazil that year - there has been little to shout about in recent campaigns.

Monaco kicked off a spate of crashes that undid early promise © XPB

Massa appeared to have turned a corner at the end of 2012, when he did enough to convince his bosses that he was back to his best and deserved a fresh deal.

Indeed, the start of this season was encouraging, as he put team-mate Fernando Alonso under pressure and got himself back on the podium at the Spanish Grand Prix.

But just when it appeared that Massa was delivering regularly, his form took a dip with a run of crashes in Monaco, Canada and Britain that appeared to hammer his confidence.

By the start of the summer break, as Ferrari began considering its options for 2014, it was clear that Massa would need to address the decline if he was to be kept on.

But that did not happen; Massa was not delivering what the team wanted and not putting Alonso under the pressure that Ferrari feels he requires to perform at his best. Change was needed.

That decision to drop Massa means the Brazilian now faces the same difficult situation that Heikki Kovalainen had in trying to secure a top-line F1 drive after McLaren dispensed with his services at the end of 2009.

Teams on the hunt for a driver know that men like Kovalainen and Massa are only on the market because one of their rivals was not convinced by their talents.

In the fickle world of F1, such doubts are enough to be a turn-off at a time when the teams are under pressure to find the perfect candidate.

WILL A TOP TEAM WANT MASSA?

The doubts about Massa caused by his inconsistent form will count against him as he tries to convince teams like Lotus and McLaren that they need him.

Would Lotus want Massa to replace Raikkonen? © XPB

For all the positives that he can bring - vast experience, race-winning pedigree and up-to-date knowledge of how a top outfit like Ferrari operates - teams still want to know that on race day their drivers will go out and do the business.

At Lotus there remains a conviction that Romain Grosjean is worth sticking with, thanks to the speed he's shown against Raikkonen during their two years together.

There could also be significant commercial reasons for retaining him, as the outfit tries to convince Renault and Total to up their commitment.

As for who will replace Raikkonen, it's no secret that Nico Hulkenberg is in pole position to secure the Lotus drive.

The German has shone in difficult circumstances at Sauber this year and is viewed by many in the paddock as one of the best of the 'young guns' coming through.

That's why Ferrari went some way down the road in its talks with Hulkenberg, and why Lotus is now working hard on nailing him down.

McLaren might not have confirmed either of its drivers for 2014, but there is every indication that Jenson Button and Sergio Perez will be retained.

Button's retention is a no-brainer, although it's understood he wants to stick to seeing out the final year of his contract that McLaren has an option on, rather than start a fresh, longer deal.

That scenario will ensure he's a free agent at the end of 2014, by which point teams and drivers will have a much better idea of who has built the best power unit for the new regulations - and which seats are the ones to target.

And while Perez hasn't delivered the results that he had hoped for when he switched from Sauber, McLaren has faith that the Mexican is worth keeping - especially with the potential commercial benefits of his country returning to the F1 schedule.

Could Sauber, where Massa made his grand prix debut, be his home next year? © LAT

OPTING ELSEWHERE OR OUTSIDE OF F1

As Massa's chances at Lotus and McLaren appear slim, he may have to decide if he wants to try to secure a race seat further down the grid in 2014.

With his race engineer Rob Smedley believed to be closing in on a deal that will take him to Williams next year, the team would certainly be interested in what Massa can bring as it looks to bounce back from a tough campaign.

There is also obvious history between Massa and Sauber, which would ensure he'd continue in the Ferrari family as the Swiss team nears another engine deal with the Italian manufacturer.

Whether or not he is willing to accept the challenge of jumping into machinery that delivers no guarantee of success is something only Massa can decide.

He will certainly not be able to command the high wages he's got used to at Ferrari, and will need to reset his on-track ambitions if he wants to stay a grand prix driver.

How eager is he to remain just for the sake of it, though? If it's the taste of success that matters more, then life after Ferrari may well mean a life outside of F1. Mark Webber has already taken that route, opting for the World Endurance Championship with Porsche.

Massa's F1 future may well be mostly out of his hands - it's the decisions of bosses in Enstone and Woking that will decide his fate - but he still has some big decisions to make.

And while recent results were not enough to keep his Ferrari seat, a lift in form now, and a run of strong results starting in Singapore this weekend, could well transform his prospects.

He still has plenty to fight for.