Ferrari duo predict competitive weekend

The Brazilian, one point behind championship leader Lewis Hamilton, posted the third fastest time, finishing behind his McLaren rival.

Massa was happy with his first day of work and believes Ferrari will be strong this weekend, although he is unsure about the competitiveness of their rivals.

"A positive day," said Massa. "This is only the start of the weekend and there is still a lot of work to do, but we have got off on the right foot. The car is handling well, especially on the harder tyres, but we know track conditions will improve so it is too early to draw conclusions.

"Visibility is not a problem. The entry and exit to the pitlane could turn out to be a bit critical in the race. In general, the track surface has a lot of grip but in some points there are some bumps that are a bit of a pain.

"I think we will be competitive: whether we will be more or less so than our rivals, I cannot yet say. It is a street circuit which means you have to concentrate all the time as there is no margin for error."

Teammate Kimi Raikkonen was also encouraged despite finishing down in seventh position after trying a set-up that did not work they way he wanted.

The Finn warned, however, not to expect much overtaking in Sunday's race.

"The visibility is great and you don't really feel you are driving at night with all the lights on the track," he said. "In general I like the track although some parts are too bumpy. The entry and exit to the pit lane are pretty difficult and we will have to be very careful.

"At the start of the day, we had a well balanced car and then, in the afternoon, we tried a modification to the front end that we had tried at the Mugello test last week, but it did not produce the effect we hoped for, but there was not enough time to switch back. Overall, I think we will be competitive.

"Overtaking? I don't think we will see much, as usual in fact."