Massa applies Ferrari lessons

Massa's previous experience came with Sauber in 2002, but he was stood down last year in favour of Germans Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen. He was taken on by Ferrari, who added him to its test driver line-up alongside Luca Badoer and Luciano Burti.

"I've learnt a lot during my year as a Ferrari test driver and am ready now to apply this knowledge to the race track," said Massa. "I feel ready. It's going to be fantastic this time. I want to do my best to bring back points and get results.

"Ferrari was a huge university for me. I was at most of the races and tests, I was in the briefings with Rubens and Michael and learnt a lot from them. I've also learnt a lot on the technical side, not just driving."

Massa believes the knowledge he has gained with the world championship winning team will benefit Sauber as it attempts to take on the manufacturer-backed teams.

"This is my third year in F1 but only my second season," he said. "This is going to be a completely better experience than two years ago. The most important thing is to give the right feedback to the engineers for the right car development.

"Experience is very important in F1, and of course I have grown up. My experience is obviously much better than it was two years ago. Although I was not racing, I have to say last year was a great time for me, I completed 15,000km of testing."