The prestigious Capacete de Ouro 2006 (Golden Helmet) award, which is given to sportsmen every year by the magazine Racing, has been presented to Ferrari F1 driver Felipe Massa. A jury of more than 70 journalists from the specialised print media in Brazil decided to give the prize, now in its 10th edition, which is often referred to as the 'Oscar' of Brazilian motoring, to Massa as the best driver of the year.

During the gala evening on Monday night at the Alpha Theater in São Paulo where Felipe Massa received the award, the driver for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro spoke about the season that just ended, his first with the Maranello-based racing team: "I came to Ferrari, knowing that I had a lot to learn and in my first year I managed to win two races and finish six times on the podium. As I was able to win the first place in the Brazilian GP I cannot exclude that in the future I will be able to win the World Championship! I want to work hard to fulfil this dream."

Massa brought his native city to a complete standstill with sheer joy when he scored a brilliant 'home' victory in front of the adoring 65,000 strong crowd in the thrilling Brazilian Grand Prix, held at the Interlagos circuit on the outskirts of Sao Paulo last month, the perfect way to wrap up his first season as an official Ferrari F1 driver. After starting from pole he dominated the race from lights-to-flag. Meanwhile on Monday evening Massa added that: "Everybody knows that I do not like to make promises. I think that the key to achieve what you want is by working and always believing in it." The Brazilian then looked to future: "Schumacher's retirement leaves a lot of space and Kimi will obviously be my main rival for the whole Championship. I surely hope to have some success. This year was quite good for me," Massa concluded. "And now I want to confirm the positive things I've done until now."
 

One of the special moments of the gala night was the prize which was awarded by the São Paulo City Hall to the racing drivers who were born in the city. The São Paulo "Citizen Driver" awards were delivered by Mr. Heraldo Correa, the Municipal Secretary for Sports, Leisure and Recreation. Massa collected this award along with Bia Figueiredo, Chico Serra, Helio Castroneves, Ingo Hoffmann and Rubens Barrichello.