Felipe Massa believes there is a strong chance his former Ferrari teammate Fernando Alonso could switch to Formula E as soon as the upcoming Season 5.
The Brazilian will be among several past F1 drivers to take on the all-electric series with Stoffel Vandoorne and Pascal Wehrlein also set to make their debuts in Riyadh in December.
After Alonso revealed in Austin he won’t be switching full-time to IndyCar in 2019 and with only four more rounds over eight months in WEC, where the double world champion in racing with Toyota, Massa does think Formula E should be a consideration.
“He was thinking about Indycar, but now I think Formula E may have a better chance of getting him,” he told Spanish newspaper AS.
“The Indy 500 is one thing, but for the championship I think Fernando may look at Formula E.
“It may be in a year, but I would not be surprised if it was earlier.”
Series CEO Alejandro Agag is also reportedly trying to attract Alonso with a reported $10m incentive to compete in Season 5.
“He wants to win Le Mans and Indy but then he will be missing Formula E,” he said. “It would be a privilege to have him.”
Massa, meanwhile, has defended his decision to team up with Venturi for the upcoming championship, admitting he wouldn’t have lasted long if he stayed at Williams.
“It was the right time for me [to retire from F1 at the end of 2017],” Felipe said.
“Not because I was not competitive, but if I had stayed this year, finishing last as Williams is, I may have said ‘hasta luego’ (see you later) after four races.”