Massa happy with 2007 performance

Felipe Massa says he is happy with his performance during the 2007 season, despite being already out of contention for the title

"Yeah, I am quite happy," Massa told reporters in Shanghai. "I think in terms of driving, in terms of pace, in terms of speed ... I am very happy with the season.

"But in a season like this, looking at the beginning of the season we had four cars with very similar pace.

"The car that finishes the most races and scores the most points is the champion in the end - we had some up and downs this year, and that didn't help us with the championship.

"Fernando (Alonso) had a very good season, very consistent, but then you don't finish one race and you maybe lose your opportunity in the championship. And that was the case in the last race," Massa added.

The Ferrari driver has scored three wins this year, but a sixth place in Japan last weekend meant the title is now mathematically out of reach for him.

Massa is 27 points behind championship leader Lewis Hamilton, who has not retired from any races in 2007. The Brazilian driver has retired once and was disqualified from the race in Canada.

He has also suffered his share of reliability problems.

"I will try again next year with the same approach; try to be more consistent and finish all the races, and we will try to have a more reliable car as well," he added.

Massa's teammate Kimi Raikkonen is still in contention for the title, but the Finn will need a miracle to win, being 17 points behind Hamilton with two races left.

Massa admitted he is not planning to help Raikkonen now that his chances are so slim.