Felipe Massa has said he feels the pressure is off heading to Korea this weekend on the back of his podium finish in Japan.
The Brazilian picked up his best result of the year at Suzuka, coming home second behind
Sebastian Vettel after his more impressive drive of the year.
The result could go some way towards securing Massa's future with
Ferrari for 2013 after intense speculation that he was to be replaced and he admitted that the result in Japan had been vital for him going forwards.
"I think [Japan] was very important for me," he said. "I'm always here to try to achieve the results; I never race just to be on the track, just to drive the car - which I like to drive - I never race for that. I race to achieve the results and I was always able to achieve in the categories I did.
“That's what gives me happiness and I think when you go a long time without the results you are not happy because you want the results. I think it was very, very important for me more than anything."
Massa added that the podium finish, his first since Korea 2010, had lifted some of the pressure from his shoulders going into the final five races of the year.
"I think when you have the results it is important for everything,” he said. “It's important for your future, it's important for the way you work, the team is happy as well, so I think for sure Suzuka was important for everything.
“I don't think really that the result of this race is what my future will be - it's nothing to do with that, 100% sure - so I think I am really in the right direction now."