Massa eyes late-season title push

Felipe Massa has his sights set on an end of season push for the championship, on the return to the scene of his maiden Formula One victory in Turkey this weekend

The Brazilian, currently on holiday in Miami, thinks the high-speed nature of the tracks coming up on the calendar will play to the strengths of Ferrari's F2007 car.

And with Lewis Hamilton 21 points in front of him in the championship standings, Massa is well aware that only a run of decent results from now will ensure he remains in contention.

"Turkey last year I was a first time race winner and in the space of 12 months things have changed as I am now chasing a title," Massa wrote in his official website blog.

"As a team, we try and have a package that is competitive at every circuit, but Istanbul is the first of a series of quick tracks and I think these will suit us particularly well.

"Last year, from Turkey onwards I had a great championship, so that is an encouraging sign. In fact, I like all the tracks that are coming up now, so I hope we end the season in style."

Massa saw Ferrari win four out of the final five races last year from Turkey onwards, with him also triumphing in Brazil. It is a run of form that he hopes can be repeated.

Despite the summer break, Massa has been keeping up to date with the latest developments at Ferrari.

"I have been keeping in touch with my engineer back in Italy to find out how things are going," he said. "The team has had a chance to rest a bit but there has been a lot of hard work going on as well in the factory.

"In fact, for this race, I will have a new chassis, which is not especially significant, as it is normal for us to change chassis after a certain number of races."

And Massa admits that the memories of last year's triumph in Turkey remain strong for him.

"It is still fresh in my mind and it is a great memory and a nice feeling to be carrying back with me to this year's race," he said. "It was a great victory for me.

"I love the track and the city and I really hope to repeat the great result from last year, when I was very strong all weekend, starting from pole position and winning on Sunday. I hope we can do it again."