Maranello: Brazilian Formula One driver Felipe Massa has no doubt that Ferrari is a title contender despite not winning either of the first two races of the season so far.
Massa is currently the top Ferrari driver in the drivers’ World Championship with 22 points, 18 behind championship-leading Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel.
Ferrari finished second and fourth in Australia but after the Fernando Alonso’s crash in Malaysia, Massa finished fifth place.
“I know we have only done two races but I have a good feeling so far this season. The work we did with the F138 over the winter has taken us in the right direction and the car has much more potential.
“I always want to be fighting for the win, although that did not work out in the first two races, but the signs were good with an excellent race pace and now we have to keep moving forward race by race,” Massa said.
“There are definitely more than two teams that are capable of fighting for the wins and the championship.
“Our team is one of them with the car moving forward in the right way and it is delivering results on track that we expected when looking at data in the windtunnel and the factory.”
Massa believes Ferrari can make another step forward during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend from April 12-14.
“We are well prepared for China and we will have all the updates we hoped to bring with us in Shanghai. I hope this translates into a further performance improvement on track.
“The aim is to fight for a lot more points, for a podium, for a win even because you have to set yourself high targets,” added Massa.
Meanwhile, former world champions Williams have targeted next month’s Spanish Grand Prix for a significant step forward with their car after failing to score a point in the first two races of the F1 season.
“We feel we have a better understanding of where we are and the whole team has been working hard to improve our competitive-ness going into the next few races,” technical director Mike Coughlan said. (IANS)
