F1: Massa pleased to prove skeptics wrong

Related Stories

Felipe Massa has backed his former Ferrari engineer Rob Smedley's claim that the Brazilian is driving as well in Formula 1 this year as he did in 2008.

Smedley, who like Massa moved to Williams for the 2014 season, recently said that Massa's driving is "definitely as good as 2008" and Massa believes that the only difference between now and then is the quality of his machinery.

When asked in Bahrain on Thursday if he feels the same way about his driving as Smedley does, Massa said: "Yes I do. The only thing you can say [is different] is we are not fighting for the championship like we were in 2008. We had maybe the top car in 2008, and now we are the third team. But I feel really good – I'm driving well, and I can use the car in the best way.

"It's nice to have that feeling – it gives you extra confidence, and the team is taking in everything you say."

Massa also took a shot at those in the F1 press who wrote him off following his accident in qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, although he accepted that when he returned from missing the rest of the '09 season he did not always perform at Ferrari.

"Many of you wrote that my accident changed my driving, so maybe that is not correct," he said. "It's much easier to write than drive.

"I had some reasons for not being so strong in the last few years with Ferrari, but I don't want to put those on the table. The past is the past – we work for the present, which is better."

Originally on Autosport.com