Massa mystified why his teammate smoked him in Shanghai 

Massa could not keep pace with his faster teammate on race day

Felipe Massa has been left confused by his lack of pace in the Chinese Grand Prix, with the Ferrari driver enduring a frustrating run to sixth position, eventually finishing over forty seconds behind race-winner and teammate Fernando Alonso.

Having topped the timesheets in Friday’s second practice session, Massa had looked on course to continue his recent upturn in form, but after a promising start to the weekend he was out-qualified by Alonso for the first time in five races.

Although the Brazilian is said to be enjoying Pirelli’s 2013 specification rubber more than most, he admitted that an inability to nurture his tires may have been the principal cause of his disappointing speed in Sunday afternoon’s race.

"It’s difficult to understand exactly what happened today, because the start went very well," said Massa, who started the race in fifth. "I was immediately quick and the car was working perfectly. At the first stop, I fitted the Medium tires and after a few laps I began to suffer with graining on the front. That meant I lost ground to other cars and it was probably down to a problem linked to the track conditions and my driving style.

"All weekend, I haven’t felt comfortable with these tires and in the race, any attempts I made to save them was useless. But for this problem, I would certainly have been in the fight for the podium, but I am still confident because I was able to bring home a good points haul which is important in a season that has only just begun."