Massa: “At the test we were quick”

While the eyes of the F1 world were on Paris and the World Council Meeting, life goes on as normal for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro in the Spa-Francorchamps paddock. The Belgian event was off the calendar last year while changes were made to the circuit and its infrastructure and so one of the first four drivers to appear "on stage" in the brand new media centre above the pits was Felipe Massa. The Brazilian's Italian Grand Prix was sadly a very short affair last Sunday and the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver went into more detail about the cause of his retirement. "As we said at the time, it was a problem with a rear damper," he confirmed. "Investigation later showed that the damper was completely blocked. The car was behaving strangely and jumping over the track in the corners. We changed the tires but that was not the problem. It was a big shame. But the fault had nothing to do with the way I was tackling the Monza curbs and the damper was of a type we have used before." A final word on the subject of Monza concerned Hamilton's passing move immediately after the start, which the Ferrari man felt was just normal racing: "I did not need to talk to him after the race. He tried to get past me, we touched and that was it."

Asked about his views on the championship situation, Massa repeated that he was still fighting. "I am keeping my head up and will be trying to win as many races as possible. Hopefully, I can be in a position to fight for victory in every race. The championship is still possible, but it would be very difficult. As for this weekend, I think we will be competitive. At the test here back in the summer we were quick and consistent."