Massa expects stronger Ferrari at Indy

The Italian squad struggled to match the pace of rivals McLaren in the last two races, with Massa finishing a distant third in Monte Carlo before being disqualified from the Montreal race.

The Brazilian showed promising form on Friday at Indianapolis, however, after posting the third fastest time, less than three tenths of a second behind Fernando Alonso, the fastest driver today.

Massa admitted he is still unsure if Ferrari will be able to challenge for victory on Sunday, but he is adamant things will be better than in Canada.

"If we are going to win I don't know, but it is going to be definitely much better here than in Canada," Massa told reporters after practice.

"Our car seems much more competitive, I am happy with the balance we found today, and the grip and balance we have compared to Canada.

"We always hope (to win). Always. I am really happy to continue the good times from Ferrari we have had at this track, so I hope we can continue that and try to win the race."

He added: "I think both tyres are in good shape, we need to find out which way around to use the tyres in the race but I definitely think we are in much better shape than we were in Canada.

Teammate Kimi Raikkonen completed a good start to the weekend for Ferrari by posting the fourth quickest time.