Felipe Massa says his title challenge is “definitely” still alive and hopes to be competitive in Valencia with a heavily updated Ferrari package.
The new points system has made the championship fight closer then ever, and with Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull seemingly on a similar pace after Montreal, the Brazilian knows that a couple of good results could transform his season.
“Until you see from a mathematical point of view that you don’t have a chance anymore, the championship is definitely open,” he said. “We saw that in two races many things changed. Many things can change quickly in another two races.”
The Valencia circuit is similar to Canada. It’s a track where I’ve won on the first and so far last occasion I had to participate. I’m confident for the race and I immediately want to fight for victory.
Felipe Massa believes Ferrari has good reason to feel optimistic about its chances of fighting for victory in next weekend’s European Grand Prix on the back of its encouraging form in Montreal.
Although Massa missed out on the points in Canada, having got caught up in a first lap tangle with Vitantonio Liuzzi and a late-race run-in with Michael Schumacher, the Brazilian was encouraged by the pace of his F10.
And, with team-mate Fernando Alonso having battled for the win before finishing third, Massa believes updates planned for Valencia should give his team a good chance of delivering a good result.
Ferrari has vowed to up the aggression level of its F10 development programme – after admitting it wasted too many resources in recent weeks on getting its F-duct to work.
Despite having not won a race since the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, the team remains a strong contender for the world title – and victory in Canada last weekend for Fernando Alonso would have put him at the top of the standings.
With Ferrari introducing a major update to its car in Valencia, which is set to include the low blown exhaust concept that is helping Red Bull Racing so much, team principal Stefano Domenicali is aware of the need to ramp up its efforts.
Felipe Massa was left to ponder what might have been after two separate racing incidents ruined his chances of a points finish in Montreal.
A collision with Tonio Liuzzi’s Force India at the first corner dropped him back and despite fighting back into the points, further contact with Michael Schumacher’s Mercedes put paid to his chances.
“This was a horrible race, in which everything happened to me,” said Massa. “At the first corner, Read the rest of this entry »
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