05/07/2006
NEWS STORY
Felipe Massa has warned that his team's performance at Indianapolis, which netted Ferrari its first 1-2 since last year's event at the Indiana circuit, was basically a one-off, and doesn't necessarily mean the beginning of a revival for the Maranello outfit.
"After such a dominant performance from us this weekend, I was asked if this was a sign that Ferrari is back on top," he writes in his blog for the Italian team. "Firstly, I would say that the team has been very near the top for a few races now, but circumstances meant that was not always so obvious.
"On top of that, at Indy, the other tyre company I am sure adopted a more conservative approach than usual in terms of the performance of its tyres, after events last year.
"When we are back in Europe, I expect the competition to get harder for us again and that we will not look so dominant," he admitted. "But at Indy, we showed that our Bridgestones can work at very high temperatures, which we will see now in the European summer. Also, we have some evolutions coming on the car, so combining this and some advantages from our tyres, I think we can be very competitive."
The Brazilian will not part in this week's test, but will instead take a well-earned break before getting to work in the gym.
"I am staying here in Brazil, where I will be relaxing, seeing my family and going to the gym. I am not a hundred percent crazy about fitness training, but the gym I use is popular with other racing drivers and so I find it much nicer to always train with some other people, as it makes the time pass more quickly."
Reflecting on his second place at Indy, his best F1 result to date, he wrote: "I am still feeling very happy. It was a fantastic sensation being on the podium with such a big crowd, with Michael next to me and lots of Brazilian flags waving from the grandstands opposite."