Felipe Massa has admitted that his manager had contact with other teams before he decided to retire from Formula 1 at the end of the year.
However, the Brazilian insists that it was nothing like when he left Ferrari three years ago and was desperate to keep racing at the pinnacle of motorsport.
"The market had a small influence, but it was small," Massa, 35, told UOL Esporte.
"I didn't know what was happening in the market. [Manager] Nicolas [Todt] talked a bit with Renault and had some contact with Haas.
"Of course I had a sense of the market, but it had a very small influence. What was strongest was the decision that arose within me."
The 11-time winner and 2008 runner-up has picked up 41 points in 2016.
