Massa confident Ferrari will be strong in Brazil

Sitting here at home in Sao Paolo where I returned from Korea on Tuesday, I can look back at the last race with a much better feeling than in the previous two rounds of the championship. It was a great sensation to be back on the podium after a couple of poor results and the points for third place are important for us in the Constructors’ championship and a help to my team-mate in the Drivers’.

Visiting a new track for the first time always means more work for everyone and that situation became even more complicated when the rain arrived for race day. The team worked well all weekend, especially in managing the situation in what were very difficult conditions on Sunday. Finishing first and third was an excellent result for the team. When the race started behind the Safety Car for the first time, the grip level was not the problem, because the tyres were clearing the water as it was not actually raining so hard: no, the big difficulty was a real lack of visibility. I could not see anything in front and it was extremely dangerous and I can imagine it was even worse for those drivers further back in the field. There was much more spray than we could have expected, it was huge! I think it might have been down to the track surface being so new that it took so long to clear away.

Ferrari’s chances in both championships now look much better than before we tackled these last three Asian races. Even during the difficult time, we were able to improve the car, working in the right direction and the result is that the F10 got stronger race by race, even if I missed out on getting a good points score for the team until Korea. Looking at the championships, it is still possible for the team in the Constructors’ and Fernando has moved into the lead in the Drivers’, so we are in with a fighting chance. We still need to work hard to prepare for the final two rounds and clearly, we know we must try and improve our performance on Saturday afternoons. Qualifying is still our weak point, although you have to take into account how strong the Red Bulls are over one lap.

I think even without the rain, this new Korean track would have provided an interesting race, as it is very enjoyable to drive. It was a bit dirty, but not to an unacceptable level, given how late it was ready. I did not have much time to be a tourist on my first visit to Korea, apart from one day in the capital, Seoul. It looked interesting, somewhere between Japan and China in terms of the feel of the place. My main memory is that the people everywhere were very nice and helpful and gradually, as the town they are planning to build around the circuit area gets bigger I am sure this will become one of the nicest race venues.

I can now look forward to not having to fly anywhere for a while as the next race is in my home town. Last year it’s true, Red Bull was very strong and won the race in Brazil, but in the years before then, Ferrari had been the strongest team, from 2006 to 2008, with our car going very well at Interlagos. I love racing here and can’t wait to get out on track in front of my home fans.

From Felipe Massa’s blog on www.ferrari.com