Ferrari, Felipe Massa: “Now I feel I'm in excellent shape”

Felipe Massa believes he is back in top form as the Formula 1 season concludes. The Brazilian has scored more points than anyone except Sebastian Vettel in the last five races, results which have helped Ferrari move up to second place in the constructors' championship .

The good performances in these last races have most likely secured the Brazilian driver a new deal at Ferrari for next year. Felipe is now happy with himself because he managed to overcome his problems at the beginning of the season.

“I feel very strong now, to be honest,” he explained. “I feel like I can drive the car more automatically, so I'm much happier.”

“The most important thing is to ride and have fun. When you drive and can't have fun, even if you have one of the best jobs in the world, it's not good.”

“If you are not happy you cannot do the work in the right direction. So the situation is much better now.”

Massa believes the key to his improved form was the car's performance in qualifying, although he thinks Ferrari still needs to improve in this area.

“When you turn the first corner and see that you're in the top five, things are different,” he said. “The race is much easier.”

“When you start in a worse situation, many things can happen around you, and you don't know what to expect from other drivers.”

“When you understand the car and the tires it's always easier. However, we still need to improve the qualification.”

“If we have a strong car in qualifying it will be a big help for the races.”