Massa seat is Badoer’s for now

Luca Badoer and Rob Smedley

Called up to replace Michael Schumacher after the seven-time world champion was forced to cancel his comeback because of a healing neck injury, 38-year-old Italian Luca Badoer said at Thursday's FIA F1 press conference in Valencia that he will continue to race the second Ferrari until Felipe Massa is fit enough to return.

"If I had only Valencia, only one chance, I would be very worried, and I would try to do everything, maybe with a lot of pressure and maybe with a lot of mistakes – but that's not the case because until Felipe comes back, the car is mine," he said. "So I have some time in which to improve, to develop the situation.

"My last race was 10 years ago more or less but I did in these 10 years close to 150,000kms with F1," he said.

"I am used to doing two races in one day because of the tests, sometimes we did two races in a day, so it is not that really I am worried for this aspect of the situation.

"I am used to the race as before I did a lot of races. If you think for somebody who had never raced maybe it is a problem but I know what it was in the past, so I have an idea.

"I am in a better position than somebody who didn't have a race, so at the moment I am very calm, very quiet."