Massa: Ferrari baffled by slip in form

Kimi Raikkonen could only manage third on the grid for today's race, with Massa down in ninth after a wheel nut problem delayed him in the pits and left him unable to do a second run.

And having come into the weekend as pre-event favourites after their dominance at Magny-Cours, Massa concedes that his team do not know why they appear to be behind the pace of an improved McLaren.

"We were a little bit less competitive than we thought, so we need to understand why," explained Massa. "The car is the same and I am the same - and it is for sure nothing to do with pressure. It is just more that we are less competitive than we thought."

Massa believes that part of the explanation for Ferrari's dip in form could come from the windy conditions that blighted Saturday's running.

"The only difference in the track was the wind. We were a little bit less competitive than we thought, and we need to analyse everything to see if we know very quickly before the race what to do."

Massa admitted it would be difficult to make much progress up the order after his qualifying woes, but still felt that a good haul of points was possible.

"It's not a great position, but for sure ninth is a lot better than the last 10 positions on the grid. So we shall see.

"Starting from ninth position it is possible to fight for points or fight for a good race, so we need to do the best we can. Many things can happen, the race is long, and we need to do our best.

"The championship is 100 percent open, and we need to score points. As I've said many times, the championship is still in the middle. There are still many races to go, there are still many things still to happen, so we need to do the best out of that and try to do the best race possible."