Frustrated Massa Delighted with Car

The Brazilian driver posted the seventh fastest time for the Swiss squad, showing they have made progress since the start of the season.

Massa was delighted with the performance of his car, but the Sauber driver was forced to replace his engine after yesterday's practice and his final qualifying will be hit with a penalty.

The engine change means Massa will lose ten grid positions.

"I'm really, really happy with the work the team has been doing on the car, which has improved a lot since Bahrain," said Massa. "I'm also really satisfied with my lap. It was clean and  I didn't make any mistakes, so we were able to show our true potential.

"But I'm very disappointed that we had to change the engine last night, so I have to lose 10 grid places. That's very frustrating. Without that I think I could have made an excellent race. But, even starting so far back, I think it will still be possible to do a good job, and even to dream of points."

Canadian Jacques Villeneuve was also happier with his car's performance at Imola, although the former World Champion was unable to match the pace of his teammate Massa.

Villeneuve wound up 13th, over four tenths behind the Brazilian.

"I made a mistake in the Variante Alta, I went a bit wide on the slippery grass and lost a few tenths, but not too bad. It is a lot better that it was in the previous races," said Villeneuve. "The team have made improvements, we've worked on the set-up and the car is a lot better."