Why the Retirements of Jenson Button and Felipe Massa Are Actually Good for F1

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: September 7, 2016

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Jenson Button and Felipe Massa, two of the most likeable and popular drivers in Formula One, announced their upcoming retirements over the Italian Grand Prix weekend (although Button claims his is not an actual retirement—we'll see).

For fans of the sport, it will be like saying goodbye to old friends. Button is the third-most experienced driver in F1 history, with 298 grand prix starts on his resume, and Massa has amassed 243 to rank ninth on the list.

However, this is the perfect time for both men to go, and their retirements should be seen in a positive light, as they open up two race seats in competitive cars for younger drivers.

Button is 36 and Massa is 35; both are still competitive, but they are no longer at the peak of their driving abilities. Few athletes (steroid-fuelled baseball players excepted) get better as they approach the age of 40 and Massa, in particular, has not been the same since suffering a life-threatening accident at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix.



McLaren have already announced Stoffel Vandoorne as Button's replacement. The 2015 GP2 champion has already proved he belongs in F1. Deputising for an injured Fernando Alonso at this year's Bahrain Grand Prix, he outqualified Button and finished 10th in the race, scoring McLaren's first point of the season.

The 24-year-old's full-time arrival in F1 adds to the growing list of exciting young drivers in the sport that includes the likes of Carlos Sainz Jr. and Pascal Wehrlein. And if he lives up to the potential he showed in his junior career, the Belgian will form a natural rival for Red Bull prodigy Max Verstappen.

Verstappen was the catalyst for a much-hyped Dutch invasion at last month's Belgian Grand Prix, so imagine the crowds next summer if Vandoorne brings out an additional horde of his countrymen.

Vandoorne's promotion is also a positive sign for the GP2 series, which looked increasin...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Formula 1

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