Formula One news

Massa returns to front end of grid

It would have been a highly courageous bet to predict that Felipe Massa would not have scored points after the first four races of the 2009 championship, although that is precisely the situation as the Brazilian looks to finally register a score in Spain this weekend from fourth on the grid in a Ferrari full of upgrades.

Barrichello and Massa complete an all-Brazilian second row

"We demonstrated that the car has improved and is much more competitive than at the other races," a thankful and relieved Massa said after qualifying on Saturday. "I am happy to be back at the front end in qualifying and the credit for that goes to everyone at the Scuderia, who have worked day and night these past weeks to get so many new elements on track so quickly."

With no double diffuser and an F60 generally lacking pace at the beginning of the season, the team has now been able to update its package on the return to Europe. "There is still a long way to go, but we are working in the right direction which is a good sign for the future," Felipe continued, who was last year's runner-up to Lewis Hamilton by a single point. "From fourth on the grid, my aim is to fight for a podium finish; at the start, the KERS could be very handy in helping me make up some places and then we know we can count on running a good race pace. I feel more comfortable at the wheel - the car is more stable and doesn't slide so much everywhere as it did in the past."

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