Massa not promising to stay at Ferrari forever

Felipe Massa

(GMM) Felipe Massa has declined to echo teammate Fernando Alonso's pledge to never again switch to a rival formula one team.

After signing a new long-term contract with Ferrari, 28-year-old Alonso said recently the probability is "100 per cent" that he will end his career with the Maranello based team.

But Brazilian Massa, although the same age as his new Spanish teammate, said he cannot make the same pledge.

"I am 28. How can I promise?" he said in an interview with Italy's Corriere dello Sport.

"Alonso is right when he says that leaving Ferrari to go to a better place is unlikely if not possible," Massa continued.

"I feel at home here (at Ferrari), but I also want to race for many more years," he added.

Massa's current contract ends this season, following five years in the race seat.

"We have mentioned a renewal," he said when asked about his expiring deal.

Massa denied that his main competitor for the 2011 race seat is the MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi.

"Of course not," he insisted. "Valentino has been 90 per cent playing, and 10 per cent seeing if he could have a future in cars.

"But at his age it is not so easy to start building up the necessary experience," said Massa.