Rubens Barrichello tells Felipe Massa there is life after Ferrari
Felipe Massa has been told by compatriot Rubens Barrichello not to be too upset that his Ferrari career is coming to an end, because there is life in Formula 1 after Maranello
Ferrari decided this week that it would not be keeping Massa for 2014, which has left him on the hunt for another F1 seat.
Barrichello knows what it is like to race on in F1 after Ferrari, having quit the team at the end of 2005, and he thinks Massa has plenty to look forward to.
"I feel very sorry for Felipe but, on the other hand, I know very well that there is life after Ferrari," Barrichello told Brazilian website Total Race.
"I am a proof of that because of Brawn and everything that happened [after I left Ferrari]. Everything was really good, and some things were even better than at Ferrari."
Following his departure from Ferrari, Barrichello went on to win another two races and fight for the world title in 2009, showing that more F1 success is possible.
And he thinks that Massa will actually come to enjoy escaping the shadow of Ferrari.
"Driving for Ferrari is the most spectacular thing there is, but the moment after you leave is somehow liberating, with less pressure and more freedom in interviews," he said.
"There is a moment of pain, but there is life after it. We cannot compare my situation with Felipe's, because I decided to leave Ferrari having a contract with Honda.
"But Felipe is a good driver and I think he can get a seat. We hear that his best chance, the one he should fight for, is at Lotus.
"Actually he has to go to where his heart tells him to and where he has an open door."
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