Replacing Felipe Massa was always going to be a tough challenge for Williams at the end of last season.

The Brazilian finally retired after 15 years in Formula One, leaving the British team will a fairly big void to fill in the cockpit to partner the still relatively inexperienced Lance Stroll.

After much consideration, Williams opted against the experience of Robert Kubica and selected Russian Sergey Sirotkin. But just three races into the season, there is already mounting pressure on the two drivers.

Williams are the only team yet to score a point, however, it would be harsh to pin all of the blame on Stroll and Sirotkin as their problems run much deeper than the cockpit.

Now just a spectator, Massa has revealed he has no regrets retiring when he did. 

But he did criticise his former team for making certain decisions based on the finances involved and thinks that has certainly affected their ability to perform on track.

"It's true that the team was suffering from the financial situation and I think they made decisions for 2018 putting money first," he told Motorsport.

"But this is not enough to make a competitive championship.

"All I can say is that I came out with my head held high. I have a good relationship with everyone at Grove and I hope that the best for the team comes out as soon as possible."

When asked if he thought he had timed his retirement perfectly, the 36-year-old added: "Yes. I chose the right time and now I'm enjoying my life. I hope Williams can recover."

In 2017, Williams finished fifth in the constructors' championship with 83 points. Even though there is still a long way to go in the current campaign, it already looks unlikely they will match that feat again this year.

Stroll and Sirotkin will certainly have a point to prove when the Azerbaijan Grand Prix gets underway next week in Baku. Another bad performance and they just might be begging Massa to come out of retirement!