The ‘one race' on which all his attentions are focussed right now is of course the British Grand Prix, but with only a brace of fifth places from his five previous
F1 outings at
Silverstone, Massa is well aware that he will not be entering the meeting as favourite – despite his world championship advantage.
That notwithstanding, the 27-year-old admitted that it is a weekend he generally enjoys, even if he is wary of both the notoriously unpredictable British weather, and the challenge that will be offered by close rivals McLaren-Mercedes and BMW-Sauber.
“Looking for my fourth win of the season will be very tough here at Silverstone,” he reflected, “but every race is difficult as we know our competitors are working very hard, as indeed are we.
“We know there could be the further complication of bad weather, so we have to concentrate on what we do in every practice session, qualifying and the race to make sure we do everything right.
“The test here last week was very important for us in defining a good base-line from which to start this weekend. We did a lot of miles and that is the basis for being in good shape now, and I have to say that Silverstone is a nice circuit and the race always has a nice atmosphere as the English fans are very enthusiastic. I am hoping we will perform well in front of them.”
When pressed about the chief influences on his career, finally – one that has seen him seal eight grand prix victories and 249 points since first getting his break in the top flight with Sauber-Petronas back in 2002 – Massa cited his father, whilst acknowledging his admiration for compatriot Senna and former
Ferrari team-mate and record-breaking seven-time title-winner
Michael Schumacher.
“My father has been the most important person in my career, coming to many races,” he related. “We are in touch every day, even if it is just on the phone. I believe Ayrton is the best driver ever together with Michael, and in fact it's very difficult to say who was better out of the two of them as they were both at a similar level.
