Massa wary of complacency after Valencia pole
Saturday, 23 Aug 2008 16:33
Massa knows he must be on form tomorrow as well
Ferrari's Felipe Massa said he is wary that there is "still a long way to go" following his pole position in qualifying for tomorrow's Valencia grand prix.
The Brazilian edged out McLaren's Lewis Hamilton to claim top spot and has shown great speed so far this weekend. But following his blow-up towards the end of the Hungarian grand prix Massa is not counting on victory until he crosses the finishing line.
He said: "It's great to be on pole position, especially after the great disappointment of Budapest, but I'm well aware the race is tomorrow and so there is still a long way to go."
Massa is eight points behind Hamilton in the drivers' championship standings and the Briton knows he must keep pace with the Brazilian to maintain a healthy lead.
Hamilton believes he is still in a good position to achieve a win during the race despite finishing behind Massa.
He said: "Second place on the grid is a good basis for tomorrow's race. However, Felipe Massa was significantly faster in the first sector, and I hope we'll be able to improve there tomorrow. Our team did a great job, and I'm confident we’ll be strong."
BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica is just five points further behind Massa and is keen to get his championship challenge back on track but the Pole knows it will be difficult to catch the Ferraris and McLarens.
Kubica said: "After some unlucky races lately the pace of the car here in Valencia is not that bad. However, there is still a small gap to Ferrari and McLaren."
Hamilton's nearest challenger is Kimi Raikkonen and the Finn was disappointed to qualify in fourth place for the race.
He said: "Fourth place is not what I was looking for, but it's definitely not the end of the world. I still think I can be in the fight for the win, especially if I manage to get a good start."
Raikkonen has not been qualifying well this season but has still managed to get results and will hope that trend continues on Sunday.