Felipe Massa reckons Williams may have second quickest F1 car

Although Williams only came away from Albert Park with a fifth place for Valtteri Bottas, the pace that the FW36 showed in Melbourne has left the team upbeat about form.

When asked if Williams is actually Mercedes' main challenger in race pace, Massa said: "It is not impossible.

"Looking at McLaren definitely they did a good race. They finished both cars in good points and they are leading the championship.

"I would say Australia was a race where we could finish both cars there and a similar position as McLaren, so maybe we were going to be first in the championship.

"Everything is possible now. Looking how we are compared to the others, I would say for the moment Mercedes is too quick compared to us, but after Mercedes everything is open and we can be there."

Massa is well aware that weaknesses in the car have been highlighted in Australia - especially in terms of downforce, rear traction and its speed in wet weather - but he is bullish about the prospect for the season.

"I am pretty happy with the car, to be honest. I am pretty happy for the performance we have.

"There is a lot to improve though. You are always thinking about what are the bad things you have in the car, and these bad things mean we lost many places in qualifying.

"So this car has a huge margin to improve, and I am pushing the team really, really hard to improve and go in the direction that I am sure will be better and much more competitive as well.

"There is a lot to do, but looking where we are, I think it is a pretty good start.

"The car is definitely more competitive in the race than qualifying."