Felipe Massa

Q. How do you account for the car being so much faster in the race than it was in qualifying?

Felipe Massa: Well, for sure it is a difficult question. Maybe one of the answers I can give you is that on race day it was a bit hotter than in qualifying. It was three or four degrees [centigrade], which sometimes looks like a bit of an excuse, but three or four degrees on the range of the temperature that the tyres need to work can make a big difference. I think maybe this can be a reasonable answer to your question.

Apart from that, I don’t know. The car in the race was much better than it was in qualifying, so the race pace was really, really good. But in qualifying we did not find a direction.

Q. So did you suffer from less understeer or oversteer?
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Felipe Massa admitted his Ferrari is simply not quick enough after struggling in qualifying ahead of the British Grand Prix.

“The balance is not too bad, but the car was maybe a bit slower than the others, so that’s the only problem, to be honest,” said Massa, who will start from 11th position after missing the cut to go into Q3.

“Maybe the others found better developments in the last weeks and maybe they made a bigger step than us. For sure it’s difficult to explain.”
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Felipe Massa is convinced that Ferrari can get itself back into a position to win races this year.

Although the Italian outfit has had just one podium finish so far this season, when Kimi Raikkonen finished third in Monaco, Massa believes there is every chance of a triumph not being too far away.

When asked at Silverstone if he felt Ferrari had the potential to take a victory in 2009, Massa said: “I think so. I think we have potential.

“Looking at the development we did from the beginning of the season to now, for sure it is always easy to see the result at the end of the day, and easy to say whatever we want.

“If you look at the facts – we made a big step forward and I believe that we can improve even more, and we can arrive to the point to win some races. And I hope!”
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Q. In Turkey you lost pace from free practice into qualifying and then more in the race. Can you explain why that was?

Felipe Massa: Well, the reason is that the temperature increased a lot from the free practice to the race and in qualifying. And we had not enough downforce on the car, so for sure having a bigger rear wing on the car was the right direction for qualifying and the race. So the temperature increased a lot and it made a big difference to the tyres, and we were losing massively in sector one where we needed the downforce – although we were not losing so much on the Friday and the Saturday morning. So we understood almost 100 percent the problem, but it was too late to change. Here for sure we are going to start in a different way.

Q. The team understands what happened in Turkey, and there are a lot of tweaks and updates on the car. How optimistic are you that you can be fighting at the front this weekend?
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Felipe Massa believes that maybe now is the time to start a breakaway championship, since there appears to be unity among teams about plans for the future.

The eight members of the Formula One Teams’ Association (FOTA) have been given until Friday to drop the conditions attached to their 2010 entries or risk being left off the grid entirely.

And with talks between the FIA and FOTA about finding a solution appearing to have collapsed, it is looking increasingly unlikely that a deal will be reached in the next few days.

Massa has admitted that the situation is now of growing concern to him, as it will affect his future, but suggests that the time may well be ripe for teams to go off and do their own thing.

“The situation looks bad at the moment, but if agreement can be reached then it can have a healthy future,” Massa told Ferrari’s official website.

“If not, then we need to look seriously at what is the best option: as the teams appear to be united, then maybe it is time to look at doing something different that could be better for the sport.”
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Felipe Massa is confident that aerodynamic updates and the introduction of a lighter chassis will help lift the performance of Ferrari at this weekend’s British Grand Prix.

Although the Brazilian and his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen had a disappointing time in Turkey a fortnight ago, he is sure that the high-speed Silverstone track should suit the team’s improved car better.

“On paper, this weekend’s British Grand Prix takes place at a track with some similarities to the last race in Istanbul, where we were not so competitive,” said Massa, who conducted an aerodynamic shakedown at Fiorano on Monday.

“This weekend’s track also features fast corners, flowing sections and a final slow sector and we will have the same two types of tyre from Bridgestone, but that doesn’t mean I think we will struggle as much as we did a fortnight ago.

“For a start, the new components we have on the car this weekend, including a front wing and a lighter chassis, should make us more competitive.”
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