Felipe Massa could well paraphrase the words of Mark Twain with the statement, “the rumors of my departure from Scuderia Ferrari have been greatly exaggerated.” Ending what seems like months of speculation, Ferrari’s F1 team has just announced the re-signing of Felipe Massa for the 2013 season.

Massa will again be paired with Fernando Alonso in 2013, likely assuming the same support role for the team’s star driver that he carried out in 2012. It’s worth noting that Massa has really stepped up his game in recent races, finishing fourth in Korea and second in Japan.

While Massa sits out of contention (in ninth place) in the current driver standings, he can still help teammate Fernando Alonso win the 2012 championship. With a DNF in Japan and a third place finish in Korea, Alonso now trails Red Bull Renault's Sebastian Vettel in the driver standings by six points.

In other words, Alonso needs all the help he can get if he’s going to win a third championship this season. Expect to see Felipe Massa deliver more of his A game for the season’s remaining four races, proving to Ferrari that they made the correct decision.

It seems that this year's Formula One silly season is a bit late in getting started, but we're sure it's far from over. We'll bring you any changes to the 2013 driver lineup as soon as we hear about them.