Felipe Massa: “I don’t feel too worried about my future”

Felipe Massa says Mark Webber’s decision to turn down Ferrari and re-sign for Red Bull has not had any impact on his thinking about his future.

The Brazilian remains in limbo as the Maranello team considers its options for 2013 and beyond.

“Of course I keep an eye on what is going on with other drivers, just as anyone likes to know what is going on in whatever work they do,” Massa told the Ferrari website.

“But the only thing that is important for me is that I keep performing in the same way I did in Silverstone. In the two Grands Prix prior to that, in Montreal and Valencia, I should have been entirely capable of finishing in the top five or on the podium, but for various reasons – a spin in Montreal and a problem with the floor of the car in Valencia – that did not happen.

“Without that, since Monaco, I would have been fighting for the top five at every race. I’m sure that driving the way I am now is the only thing I can do and need to do to ensure my future. What happens in the drivers’ market does not have a significant effect on my position. If I carry on performing the way I did in Silverstone, then I don’t feel too worried about my future.”

Massa says the season isn’t as tough as it might look from the outside.

“In my situation, I have had some strong races recently and our car is getting better all the time, so you want to keep racing, because you have in mind that your performance can get even better. In our case, I expect that trend to continue all the way through to the final round of the championship.

“But if you are struggling, having hard races, then you really have to dig deep and in those circumstances, it can seem like a long road, although even then, you have the incentive to work hard and look ahead to every race in the hope of doing better.

“It’s human nature that you have to push yourself harder when times are tough. Thankfully, at the moment, we are not in that position and I’m looking forward to all the remaining races, so the fact it is a long season is fine for me. Twenty races is definitely a long championship, but I am enjoying the fact that we have many races remaining to get some good results.”

He remains confident that he can move up the championship table: “For sure, the Drivers’ is still important to me. Looking at where I was just before Silverstone, I am aware that are a lot of points still available over the coming eleven races. It is very important for me and I want to fight to get back into the top six or top five. That might be a difficult target to achieve, but you always need to set yourself a hard challenge. In addition, the Constructors’ Championship is very important to us and the better I do in the Drivers’ the more I help Ferrari.”