Di Montezemolo: « Massa is not under pressure »

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo claims that his Brazilian driver Felipe Massa is not under pressure, despite a poor start to the season on his part.

Massa abandoned after the first Grand Prix of the season. The latest rumors suggest that Massa’s position within the Scuderia may be in jeopardy even though he still has two years left on his contract.

But di Montezemolo brushed aside these rumors by saying that Ferrari’s driver lineup is the best in the 2008 F1 field.

« Felipe Massa is absolutely not out of the game. In fact, within Ferrari, we have the best drivers that any team would love to have, » declared di Montezemolo in the pages of Gazzetta dello Sport.

« I expect a great race from him in Bahrain. He had a magnificent qualifying session in Malaysia. »

Di Montezemolo stated that he expected a lot from the Sakhir race to confirm a rather good Malaysian weekend but especially to definitively forget the one in Australia, where both cars had retired.

« I am convinced that we have an exceptional team and a competitive car, » he added.

« The situation should not be taken lightly as it will be a great challenge. And with good reason, the world’s largest automobile manufacturers are present. »

« I am very confident because I know there is a good development program planned for the single-seater. »