Massa fought 'from beginning to end' in last race

Felipe Massa has insisted that he fought 'from beginning to end' in his final Formula One race as he prepares to retire from the sport, and has received praise from his Williams boss, Paddy Lowe, who confessed that emotions were high among the team during Massa's last race.

The Brazilian enjoyed a positive final bow in Formula One and claimed a points finish in 10th place, gaining a spot after Daniel Ricciardo's retirement.

Massa, looking back over the race and his career overall, was happy with his contribution to the sport.

"It's a great feeling," said Massa after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina.

"I can say I am really proud of everything I've achieved, all 16 years and all the amazing races, and the great people I met in the paddock, racing against the best drivers in the world.

"To be honest, I'm very lucky to have had all of this in my life so thanks to my family and to god for all of these amazing opportunities. The race was good, I was fighting from the beginning to the end.

"Unfortunately, we lost the position after the pit-stop but I'm really happy overall."

Massa had originally intended to retire at the end of the 2016 season, only to postpone his farewell to help out Williams and return to the team to replace Valtteri Bottas who jumped ship over to Mercedes.

Lowe expressed his respect for Massa's accolades, and was happy that the Brazilian retired with a points finish.

"There was a lot of emotion in the camp around Felipe's last drive for the team after such a great career in Formula 1," Lowe said.

"It was a tough race with some very competitive racing.

"We had a close fight with Fernando in the opening lap and then later on in the race around the pit-stops. Unfortunately, we didn't have the pace today to stay ahead.

"We ran out of energy on the outlap, which is why Fernando was able to get past as they came out of the pits, but we scored a point and points is what it's all about. I'm happy for Felipe and for the team to finish that way/"