Massa sees sunshine after poor start
Felipe Massa won the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday as the desert circuit kick-started his Formula One championship challenge for the second year in a row
The Brazilian had failed to score a point in the first two races of the year, an even worse performance than last season's disappointing start, but the track again delivered the result he needed.
Massa took the lead from BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica going into the first corner and stayed ahead of world champion teammate Kimi Raikkonen to steer Ferrari to their first one-two since last year's Brazilian season-ender.
The 10 points lifted him to sixth in the standings, nine points behind leader Raikkonen with 15 races remaining.
His relief was palpable, even if he played down the pressure.
"Finally, after a start to the championship under dark clouds, I can see the sunshine again," he said.
The clouds were caused by retirements in Australia and Malaysia, with the Brazilian again coming under fire in Italy with the media speculating on the likelihood of him seeing out his contract to 2010.
"I have not had very easy weeks but that's life," he told a news conference.
"It's not the first time and won't be the last one as well. You have some bad days in your life. I had two bad days in the first two races but I know that we are quick."
Massa followed up his win in Bahrain last year with another victory in Spain and Turkey's Istanbul circuit later in the season.
The calendar has changed this year and Spain and Turkey are now the next two races, leaving the Brazilian looking forward to the weeks ahead.
"I think Barcelona is a nice circuit and one that I like, Turkey as well, so I think that we have very good circuits in front of us at which our car always behaves very well," he said.
The Brazilian was never truly challenged for the lead but he said it had not been an easy afternoon, with oil on the track making conditions hazardous.
"The race was pretty difficult because I didn't want to make any mistakes, just didn't push so much and tried to bring the car home, controlling the pace...for sure I had all the time in my mind what happened in the last race," he said.
"I love the circuit, it's the second victory in a row and I always went very strongly here."
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