Kubica would have replaced Massa – Ecclestone

With his contract up this year, Massa is on the hot seat

(GMM) If not for Robert Kubica's predicament, Felipe Massa would have lost his Ferrari seat by now.

That is the view of F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone.

He told Austria's Der Spiegel that Kubica, still recovering from horror injuries sustained in a rally crash in February last year, would have replace the struggling Brazilian Massa.

"I think, for them (Ferrari), it's a question of alternatives," said Ecclestone.

"Who, of those available to them, are better than Massa?

"I am very confident that Robert Kubica would be sitting in that Ferrari now if a year ago he would not have had that horrible rally accident," the 81-year-old opined.

Italy's Rallyemotion reports that Kubica tested a Skoda Fabia rally car last Thursday in Liguria.

Meanwhile, Ecclestone backed Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali, amid expectations the famous Maranello based team will struggle early in 2012.

"Ferrari's problems have nothing to do with the leadership," he said.

"The problems are on the technical side. But instead of firing someone, they should buy someone: Adrian Newey."