Consistency the key for Massa

Ferrari's Felipe Massa, who won the last race in Turkey, is well aware that winning itself is not enough and that consistency is the key to the championship. Massa is currently third in the drivers' standings, behind the McLaren teammates, and has a deficit of 15 points to leader Lewis Hamilton. Not only that, he has his own teammate Kimi Raikkonen just one point behind him. So it's a tough fight but victory in Istanbul helped Massa's cause.

Podium: race winner Felipe Massa celebrates.

Photo by xpb.cc.

"Turkey was in every way a good result and as I said on Sunday night after the race, the Istanbul track is becoming a good place for me and definitely something special after two consecutive wins and two pole positions: special can be the only word," he said in his official blog. "And from a team point of view, it was the best possible result, as we secured maximum points with a one-two finish."

"It is particularly good to have these Turkish successes as part of my F1 record, because I think this track is highly regarded from a driving point of view. I feel that the track is comparable to Spa and to Suzuka, in other words it is a "real" drivers circuit. I also like Spa and Suzuka. Last year in Japan I was on pole and was going well until I had a puncture and, in the past, I also had some very good results in Spa. I like these kinds of circuits and really perform well at them."

While the McLaren drivers have been at the top of the standings most of the season their Ferrari rivals have equalled them on the top step of the podium. Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Massa and Raikkonen have all scored three wins apiece -- but as Massa pointed out, wins alone are not sufficient in the big scheme of things.

"It is quite possible that at the end of the season I might have won more races than the others and still not be champion and it is also true for the other three drivers," he commented. "We know that victory on its own is not enough and we have to be consistent throughout the year which has not always been the case for us this season."

That said, the benefits of a win, aside from points, can make a lot of difference to a driver. "When you win, it always brings an important boost," Massa remarked. "After I won in Turkey last year, I know I improved a lot mentally. Now we just need to keep improving, to keep pushing hard and this win has certainly made me even more committed to do that over the last few races."

Ferrari is currently testing at Monza with the other teams in preparation for the Italian Grand Prix, although today (Thursday) it seems that bad weather has interfered with Massa's track time. Monza, of course, is Ferrari's home circuit and Massa knows the significance of the next race. "It will be a very important moment in the championship," he said.