Massa: “We have to improve in qualifying!”

It's always a thrill to drive a Formula 1 car, even for those who have been doing it professionally for more than ten years, even for those who have covered several tens of thousands of kilometers inside the cockpit. It's a thrill to do it in tests, even in aerodynamic tests when you do nothing but go back and forth on a straight line in places far from prying eyes, and even more so when you do it to entertain the public in the streets of a big city.

It's an emotion for all pilots, from the youngest to the most experienced, and Felipe Massa it is certainly no exception. We had yet another confirmation of this this afternoon in Warsaw, where the Brazilian driver performed at the wheel of an F60 as part of an event organized by Shell for the launch of V-Power Nitro+ fuel on the Polish market.

“It's nice to be able to run close to people, see from the car the people who greet you, who try to take a thousand photographs of you – said Felipe after the show –. On occasions like these you naturally don't seek the limit but only to have fun and entertain the people who came here to see you. This year I have already been to Rio de Janeiro before the start of the world championship and now I am here in Poland: events like these are good for our sport, they bring it closer to an audience that, perhaps, knows little about Formula 1 or has no opportunities to see it live. In Warsaw I found a lot of enthusiasm: the people are very open and friendly, it's a shame I couldn't spend more time there. Maybe I'll come back in the future and be able to stay longer!”.

There are just a few days left until a very special event in the Formula 1 calendar, the Monaco Grand Prix, and there was certainly no shortage of questions from the media relating to the current competitive season.

“All in all, the start was positive – said Felipe –. In some races we went very well while in others, like in Bahrain, we had some problems that made us lose precious points. We have grown in every way this year, from the car to the team's work, and we have shown that we are competitive: it is clear that we need to improve, especially in qualifying. We know this well and we are working towards this goal. Monaco is a track that I really like, also because it is my second home race since I live there: you always go to the limit, very close to the barriers, without having the possibility of making mistakes. The position on the starting grid is much more important than at any other track and we therefore hope to be able to get a good result already on Saturday. My goal is very simple: always fight for the podium. Tires? We have to try to do the most with what they make available to us, that's all. In Spain we won by making four stops but it wasn't the first time something like this happened...".