Sky Sports F1's pundits discuss Felipe Massa's future after his Ferrari exit is confirmed

Sky Sports F1's pundits agree that the time had come for Ferrari to make a change to their driver line-up and now suspect that Felipe Massa's hopes of continuing his Formula 1 career realistically rest with either Lotus or Sauber.

With Massa's Ferrari career therefore having just seven more races to run, attention will now turn to the Brazilian's next moves with the 32-year-old himself having made clear on Monday night that he isn't giving up on his F1 career yet and wants "to find a team that can give me a competitive car" for 2014. But what is the likelihood of such a move materialising? "He could go to Lotus. They themselves have some financial troubles and could do with a driver who brings sponsorship to the team," mused Ted Kravitz. "But it looks like they will probably retain Romain Grosjean and perhaps take Nico Hulkenberg, who was the other candidate for Massa's Ferrari seat and looks to have been overlooked in favour of Kimi Raikkonen. "He's driven for Sauber before but it looks like they are going to take two drivers who bring money to the team, and while Massa does have a few personal sponsors, it's not worth mega bucks. "So Massa's options are decreasing and I'm not sure whether he will be in Formula 1 next year. I'm afraid to say it because he's one of the gentlemen of the paddock, but we could be looking at this being Felipe Massa's last year in Formula 1." Brundle agreed that a return to Sauber, or an effective job swap with Raikkonen at Lotus, were the most likely scenarios and expressed hope that the Brazilian would still be in F1 come next season. "It is not out of the question that he could return to Sauber - they are Ferrari-powered of course and they could facilitate that - and it is not out of the question that he could go to Lotus, or he could be out of F1 altogether," Martin added. "I wouldn't be surprised to see him pop up in another Formula 1 car."