Massa upbeat about Ferrari's form

The Brazilian, who endured a dismal season opener in Australia, posted the quickest time in the morning and was only outpaced by Lewis Hamilton in the afternoon, the Briton finishing less than two tenths ahead.

Ferrari driver Massa admitted he was very happy with his day's work and is upbeat about his team's form for the remaining part of the weekend.

"I am very happy with these two sessions," said Massa. "The car proved to be very quick and consistent on both types of tyre. It's a shame I was unable to get the most out of the second set of soft tyres, when I found myself behind Hamilton who was going slowly.

"We are working in the right direction for qualifying and the race."

World champion Kimi Raikkonen finished right behind Massa in the afternoon session, and he was also happy about Ferrari's pace.

"This morning I lost time because of a communication problem within the team, but we made up for it in the second session," said the Finn. "The car seems to be going well and I am pleased with the work we have done.

"I worked mainly on the harder tyres, but I think that even with the softs, from what we have seen, we can be competitive.

"It is always difficult to say where we are compared to our rivals, but I think we can face the rest of the weekend with confidence."

Ferrari will be aiming to bounce back in Malaysia after both Raikkonen and Massa retired from the Australian Grand Prix due to engine problems.