He only stepped down from Formula 1 last November but Brazilian racing driver Felipe Massa is already ready to jump back behind the wheel, only this time in the Formula E Championship.
Massa confirmed Tuesday he will drive for Venturi starting from the 2018/2019 season, the electric car racing series' fifth.
He signed a three-year deal with the team and will start testing the new Gen2 Venturi VFE 05 Formula E car this month.
The 37-year-old's substantial experience in top-level motorsport should aid the team, which ranks a lowly seventh in the current 2017/2018 season.
2017/2018 Venturi VF4 04 Formula E race car
Starting out in go-karts from the age of eight, Massa continued racing in national and regional championships for seven years, before moving to Formula Renault and on to Formula 3000. He started racing in F1 in 2002, as a driver for Sauber, and then joined Ferrari in 2003 as a test driver, finally receiving a seat with the team in 2006 alongside Michael Schumacher. Massa in 2014 joined Williams where he raced until his retirement last year.
Venturi is yet to confirm Massa's teammate. The team's current drivers are Maro Engel and Edoardo Mortara, with Tom Dillman serving as reserve.
"I needed [Massa], his experience, his speed, and his openness,” Gildo Pastor, president of the Venturi car brand and Formula E team, said in a statement. “Felipe’s 15 years’ experience in Formula 1 will definitely give us a boost.”
The first race of the 2018/2019 Formula E season is scheduled for December.
