Felipe Massa not mourning Bernie Ecclestone exit

Felipe Massa of Williams poses for a portrait during day one of F1 winter testing at Circuit de Catalunya on March 1, 2016
© Getty Images
Felipe Massa says that he does not mourn the departure from F1's day-to-day running of former supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

Felipe Massa has said that he does not mourn the departure from Formula 1's day-to-day running of former supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

Ecclestone has been critical of the early changes made by his successors Chase Carey, Ross Brawn and Sean Bratches, but F1 veteran Massa said that it was a necessary shift.

"Don't get me wrong - I think Bernie Ecclestone is a genius," the Williams driver said.

"But the world has changed a lot. Despite all his genius, I think Bernie does not fully understand all of the current trends with his 86 years. It is important to move now in a progressive way."

He said a great example of how to make F1 "more popular and more interesting" was the young Ferrari fan who got to meet Kimi Raikkonen during a recent grand prix.

"We need a younger outlook and a more professional approach in certain areas," said Massa.

"This year the drivers have been met two or three times by the new owners in the briefings, because for many years we often had proposals but the answer was always 'no'."

The championship continues on Sunday with the Canadian Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel of Germany and Ferrari looks on as he sits in the garage during final practice for the Formula One Grand Prix of Italy at Autodromo di Monza on September 5, 2015
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1Ferrari196
2Mercedes179
3Red Bull97
4Force India53
5Toro Rosso29
6Williams-Mercedes20
7Renault14
8Haas14
9Sauber4
10McLaren0
DriversTeamPoints
1Sebastian VettelFerrari129
2Lewis HamiltonMercedes104
3Valtteri BottasMercedes75
4Kimi RaikkonenFerrari67
5Daniel RicciardoRed Bull52
6Max VerstappenRed Bull45
7Sergio PerezForce India34
8Carlos SainzToro Rosso25
9Felipe MassaWilliams-Mercedes20
10Esteban OconForce India19
11Nico HulkenbergRenault14
12Romain GrosjeanHaas9
13Kevin MagnussenHaas5
14Pascal WehrleinSauber4
15Daniil KvyatToro Rosso4
16Lance StrollWilliams-Mercedes0
17Marcus EricssonSauber0
18Jolyon PalmerRenault0
19Fernando AlonsoMcLaren0
20Stoffel VandoorneMcLaren0
21Antonio GiovinazziSauber0
22Jenson ButtonMcLaren0
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