Felipe Massa has declared he will get revenge on rookie driver Lewis Hamilton after Hamilton tricked him into an off-track excursion. Hamilton tricked Masa into sliding out of control twice as they scrapped for second place.

Speaking at an official FIA press conference, Massa explained about Ferrari’s current form and how he thinks the season will turn out.

“Last year was a great experience, learning to fight at the front of the field,” Massa began. “But I still expect to improve race by race.”

Felipe Massa has been defending his teammate Kimi Raikkonen after several recent reports in tabloid newspapers that Raikkonen is continuing his alcohol-fuelled patries off-track. Massa has suggested that the reports should be taken with a pinch of salt. “In a world like ours where there are famous people, the media can exaggerate or even make things up,” Massa stated.

Felipe Massa has claimed that he has earnt the respect of his Ferrari team since the end of the 2006 season. There are many who believe that Massa will be a strong rival for his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen in 2007 and that there is real respect for his talent in the Maranello based team.

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa has won the prestigious Lorenzo Bandini award. The award is given annually to an outstanding Formula 1 driver. Normally, the award is given on the weekend of the San Marino Grand Prix, however as San Marino is not on the calendar for the 2007 season, Massa will receive the aware in Italy on May 6th.

Ferrari continued to be hampered by bad weather during their final day of testing at the Vallelunga circuit in Italy. On a damp track, Raikkonen was only able to complete an installation before lunch, but as the track dried in the afternoon he completed 52 laps and set a best time of 1:19.758 in the Ferrari 248.

Yesterday, Kimi Raikkonen took to the Vallelunga circuit in a Ferrari 248. It’s the first time Raikkonen has driven a F1 spec car since the Brazilian Grand Prix three months ago, and his first time in the Ferrari.

Raikkonen made a surprise appearance at the Ferrari garage during testing at Jerez yesterday. Whilst there, he had his first proper chat with teammate Felipe Massa. The chat lasted about 20 minutes, and Massa is upbeat about having Raikkonen as a teammate and he hopes that their cooperation will help the team move forward next season.

Felipe Massa has voiced his concerns that the new tyres, which are of a harder compound than last season, will make overtaking harder. He explained, “The driving changes - there’s less grip, the tyres are harder and the car tends to slide. The braking distance got longer, you need to drive more smoothly because it’s easier to lose the back or locking the front tyres. You can’t be aggressive in the turns. This won’t help overtaking. There will be even less grip in the slipstream.”

Felipe Massa has issued a warning to Kimi Raikkonen about next season. He has said that the Finn should expect a battle to be Ferrari’s Number One driver. “I have helped my team by filling the holes until now, but things have changed,” he explained. Next year I don’t think I will be obliged to let Kimi pass in front of me. He is a great driver, but he is joining a new team and it will be up to him to win them over. It will be a great battle, but a fair one.”