Massa: I hope we have a bigger step than the others

Felipe Massa was called up to today’s FIA press conference in the Istanbul media centre, for the obvious reason that he has won this race three times out of the total of six Turkish Grands Prix held to date. “Of course I’m happy to be at a track where I have won three years in succession from pole,” said the Scuderia Ferrari driver. “It’s a great feeling, even if the last two years here have not been so successful, so I hope this weekend we go in the same direction as in the past."

Everyone at the track is well wrapped up against the cold and the rain, something never before experienced here, which raises the possibility of a wet race. “It could be a good thing or a bad one, but above all it would be a lottery,” commented the Brazilian. “In winter testing we did very few laps in the rain so it is hard to know what to expect,” he added before moving on to explain what the Scuderia has been up to since China. “Everyone has been working so hard during the break, trying to understand more about the car,” he said. “I hope the new step we have here will be interesting for us, especially for qualifying, given that our race pace is much better than on Saturday afternoon. However, all the teams have been trying to make progress, so until we are actually on track, it is difficult to know what our new parts will deliver and then, the weather could actually make that even harder to assess. I hope we have a bigger step than the others.”

Asked if he and the team felt under pressure after the results of the first three races, Felipe admitted that now was the time for Ferrari to react. “Clearly, in qualifying Red Bull has had the quickest car and McLaren has also been strong. If you consider that Sebastian’s (Vettel) worst result so far is a second place, it means he already has a big points advantage. So we need to make a significant step here in Istanbul, because even though of course, we never give up, the points gap is quite big now. We must start to get closer to them.”

Whatever the situation regarding Scuderia Ferrari, Felipe was very positive about the current state of health of Formula 1. “I have heard so many good things since the last race in China, from the press and from other people,” he revealed. “Everyone seems very impressed with the racing and the good fights, the overtaking and the influence of the rear wing, the KERS and the tyres. We drivers have always had fun on the track, but it’s important for the fans to see a really exciting show and it seems we are moving in a good direction on this front compared to last year.”

All the drivers in the conference were asked to say a word about Robert Kubica, the Renault driver recently released from hospital after an horrific rallying accident. “I have known Robert for a very long time,” said Felipe. “Since he was in Formula Renault in fact. He is a great driver and a very nice guy and I miss fighting with him on the track. I hope he can soon return to what he likes doing best, which means racing.”

Finally, Felipe could not help laughing when a journalist mentioned rumours about his being replaced within Scuderia Ferrari next year. “What, is it that time already?” joked the Brazilian. “Every year since I have been with Ferrari, there are these rumours and always around this time of year. And like every year, I have nothing to say!”