Felipe Massa, Bahrain

Yesterday’s FIA press conference was a star-studded affair, with the returning Michael Schumacher, both McLaren drivers and both Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro drivers sharing the podium. In a way, Felipe Massa was also “returning” since his Budapest accident last year. “It’s great to be back after eight months, back to racing again,” said the Brazilian. “And I think we are starting well after going in the right direction after winter testing. Driving has been my job for so many years that I am really happy to be back.” With a history of sometimes making a slow start to the season, in terms of picking up points, Massa is determined to do things differently this year. “It will be vital to finish these early races and to get points which will be very important come the end of the year. Reliability is the key to achieving this and we have made a good start as we were able to complete a lot of kilometres in winter testing.”

Asked about the lack of refuelling and the change to qualifying, Felipe was optimistic about the effect of the rule changes. “As we have not had a race yet with the new rules, I can’t say if I prefer this system or the one from last year. But it is good to have a new challenge, with different elements to focus on.” The Ferrari man was also in favour of the new points system, which sees a bigger gap between winning and coming second. “I think it’s a good thing,” he said. “Because winning is the most important thing in any sport and so the winner should be rewarded more, which is just what this bigger points gap achieves.”

Source: Ferrari S.p.A.