Massa upbeat about Ferrari's form

On a warm and bright day at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit, Ferrari looked to be Renault's strongest rivals with Michael Schumacher posting the second fastest time while Brazilian teammate Massa the fifth quickest race driver in the afternoon.

Ferrari have introduced several new parts for their 248 F1 car in order to bounce back from two disappointing races.

"Obviously I was quite happy in the second session," said Massa. "In the first session I was not very comfortable with the set-up of the car and we did just two laps and in the afternoon we changed the cars and chose another direction to go and I have to say we improved a lot.

"I keep running on the same set of tyres during the whole session and was just preparing the car for the race. I was quite happy with the car I must say."

Massa will compete in front of his Italian team's fans for the first time and he is aiming to put on a good performance.

"For sure it is a very special Grand Prix for the team and for me as well, because as a Ferrari driver this is the home Grand Prix and I am looking forward to doing a good job," said Massa.

"I think it is really amazing to be at Imola in front of the whole Italian fans and hopefully we can do a good job."