Massa: Ferrari dominance a one-off

Massa's Ferrari team dominated the United States Grand Prix last weekend, with seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher winning from pole position.

Massa secured Ferrari's first one-two of the season with a strong drive to his best result in Formula One to date.

Championship leaders Renault were unable to match the pace of their Italian rivals, with Giancarlo Fisichella finishing a distant third and world champion Fernando Alonso coming home in fifth.

But Massa believes the Indianapolis race, with its unique characteristics, was a one-off for Ferrari, and expects things to be much closer at Magny-Cours, although the Ferrari driver expects his team to fight at the top.

"After such a dominant performance from us this weekend, I was often asked if this was a sign that Ferrari is back on top," Massa wrote on Ferrari's website. "Firstly, I would say that the team has been very near the top for a few races now, but circumstances meant that was not always so obvious.

"On top of that, in Indy, the other tyre company I am sure adopted a more conservative approach than usual in terms of the performance of its tyres, after events last year. When we are back in Europe, I expect the competition to get harder for us again and that we will not look so dominant.

"But in Indy, we showed that our Bridgestone can work at very high temperatures, which we will see now in the European summer. Also, we have some evolutions coming on the car, so combining this and some advantages from our tyres, I think we can be very competitive."

Massa admitted he was pleased with his performance at Indianapolis, the Brazilian saying it will help him get noticed.

"I think Sunday's race was very good for the future of Formula One in the USA and it was also very good for Ferrari and for me, as I feel I did drive a really good race and was able to push all the way," he said.

"Racing is not just about speed, you also need to be intelligent, especially when you are fighting for a championship and so last weekend really was a perfect job from my point of view and from the team perspective also.

"On top of that, it has really given us all even more motivation to keep pushing all the way to the end of the season. On a personal level, this is my best result and so it is important for me in terms of my career, as you need to be at the front of the field to be noticed."

Massa's comments come after Ferrari boss Jean Todt said the Brazilian is underrated as Schumacher's teammate.

"He has a good spirit, he's a team player, he's humble, shy," the Frenchman said on Sunday. "He's probably too humble and too shy for this business, because he's not rated as he should be. But the most important thing is that he's rated by Ferrari."

Massa, managed by Todt's son Nicolas, has a one-year race deal with the former champions but his future at the team remains uncertain.