GreenBkk.com Formula 1 | Massa: The car is competitive - I hope I can exploit it soon

Massa: The car is competitive - I hope I can exploit it soon

Ferrari may be in the midst of one of the toughest starts to a season in years, but Fernando Alonso's second-place finish in Monaco finally breathed life into the team's 2011 championship campaign. For Alonso's team mate Felipe Massa, however, the feeling of frustration continues after his Monte Carlo race ended in the barriers following a prior collision with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton.

"Fernando showed, by fighting at the front right to the end, we had a very good potential there and I think I could have finished the race in fourth place," Massa told Ferrari's official website. "Unfortunately, there was the accident with Hamilton, which put me out of the running. It was a real shame."

Massa appears to have borne the brunt of Ferrari's issues of late. He last finished in the points back at April's Chinese round and retired from the recent Spanish race with gearbox problems. He is currently eighth in the drivers' standings with 24 points - barely a third of the tally of Alonso, who is fifth on 69.

But despite his difficulties, the Brazilian was pleased to see Ferrari finally faring much better on the track - even though he had to watch their improved pace from the sidelines.

"For the spectators - and unfortunately I was one of them - the second part of the race was very exciting," he continued. "And there was at least one positive aspect to the weekend and that is the fact our car was much more competitive than we had seen it at the previous race. Finally, we could fight all the way to the end, even if circumstances meant that only applied to one of us."

With this renewed sense of confidence in the Ferrari, Massa is hopeful that with luck on his side, some new updates and Pirelli's softer tyres, he may be better placed to exploit the ever-improving 150° Italia at the forthcoming Canadian and European races.

"Our pace (in Monaco) was very good and I hope that will also be the case in Canada and Valencia," he said. "We should have some new technical updates there, which along with the softer tyres, should be a help, on paper at least."

Massa travelled to see his family in Brazil after the Monaco race and will journey north to Canada at some point next week. The FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DU CANADA 2011 takes place in Montreal from June 10-12.

Credit: Formula One Administration Ltd (www.formula1.com)