Massa says pressure is on Ferrari

On the back of a disappointing Belgian Grand Prix, where Ferrari was no match for Red Bull Racing and McLaren, the outfit lost big ground in the points standings when Alonso crashed out.

And with just six races to go, Ferrari needs to recover the lost ground quickly if it is going to keep its title hopes alive.

Speaking ahead of the countdown to Monza, Massa said: "That will be a great event, racing in front of our tifosi, but the reality is that it will be a very important race, because after the less that satisfactory performance in Belgium, the championship is not looking so easy for us.

"We need to keep pushing for the last six races, trying to be back in the fight for wins or at least as many podiums as possible. For sure it won't be easy."

Massa admitted that Ferrari had been expecting more from the Belgian Grand Prix - especially when its pace looked so good during Friday practice.

"Looking back a couple of days to the Belgian Grand Prix, I started sixth and finished fourth, so at a certain level, I could say that I had a good race. However, in terms of the result and in terms of the championship and the points total for Ferrari, it was not enough.

"Given the difficult conditions, with the weather changing several times during the race, this was a positive performance in difficult conditions. However it was not what I expected, or what the team had hoped for, given the fact that in Spa, the car was not as competitive as it had been in the two previous races in Hungary and Germany.

"This was probably another example of how, this year, the situation in terms of which teams are competitive, has been governed by the nature of the track."

Massa will be returning to the Hungaroring this weekend for a special appearance at the Ferrari Racing Days event. He will also demonstrate a Ferrari 2008 car.