Massa does not think they need Schu

Felipe Massa reckons Ferrari's World Championship double this season is proof that the team can cope in the face of adversity.

The Scuderia began this year's Championship with the likes of Michael Schumacher and Ross Brawn, who both played integral roles in the team's past success.

However, even without their key players, the Italian stable returned to the front of the grid claiming both the Constructors' and Drivers' Championship titles.

But even though it was his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen who claimed the Drivers' crown this season, Massa was nonetheless happy with his own performances, which included three grand prix victories.

"2007 was a very good year and a very exciting one. I fought almost to the very last race for the world title and the only reason I wasn't in the running for the title by the time we got to Interlagos is because we had too many reliability problems during the year," he told the official F1 website.

"Kimi and I brought both titles back to Maranello at the end of a really tough confrontation with very strong opponents.

"For my part, I won three races and took six pole positions and the same number of race fastest laps, improving on my points score from last year.

"There were some extraordinary moments, like the wins in Sakhir, Barcelona and Istanbul, as well as the pole in Interlagos in front of my home crowd, but even nicer was the joy of having played a decisive role in the success of the team.

"We have shown that, even if some of the important people are no longer in the team, starting with Michael Schumacher, Ferrari is still at the top of Formula One."

The Brazilian also commented on his new contract with Ferrari that will see him remain at the team until the end of the 2010 season.

"I have my second family at Maranello and I was delighted to be able to announce just before my home race that I have extended my agreement that binds me to the Scuderia to the end of 2010 – that means a lot more time to enjoy together!" he said. PlanetF1