Felipe Massa took the lead in the drivers' championship for the first time in his career following his third win of the season in the French Grand Prix on Sunday at Magny Cours.
Massa trailed his
Ferrari team-mate
Kimi Raikkonen in the first half of the event, before passing the reigning world champion on lap 39 when the Finn was slowed by an exhaust problem [see separate story].
Massa now increases his tally in the drivers' championship to 48 points, two more than
BMW Sauber's
Robert Kubica, who drops to second and five more than Raikkonen, who is third.
"A great race, a fantastic result," reflected the Brazilian. "The win came my way because Kimi had a problem with his car and at the pace he was running, it would have been hard for me to beat him on the track. I would have been happy with second place but of course, the win makes me even happier.
"I want to thank the whole team. I am leading the championship and that's a nice feeling, but I am well aware it means nothing because I am aiming for the title and to do that, there is still a long way to go.
"In the first part of the race I was struggling a bit to stay in touch with Kimi, then when his exhaust broke, I managed to get by. In the second part, I thought of managing the situation, making sure I made no mistakes, especially when there were a few drops of rain. We have to continue working this way, race after race, right to the end of the championship."
Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali meanwhile hailed Massa's performance. He was also delighted to see the Scuderia increase its lead in the Constructors' championship - now 17 points up on BMW Sauber and 33 points up on McLaren-Mercedes.
"I am very happy for Felipe, who drove majestically, without putting a foot wrong. It is the first time in his career that he leads the world championship and I am sure that is a great satisfaction for him," added Domenicali.
