Set-Up Gamble Pays Off for Massa

The Swiss team headed into qualifying knowing that their car was not performing well over single laps, but Massa overcame those problems to just miss out on a spot inside the top 10.

"With new tyres this morning the balance was still poor, so we took some risks with the set-up for qualifying and they paid off," he said. "The balance was much better and that was a really good lap. Almost perfect."

Massa's delight at his lap was in contrast to the disappointment that teammate Jacques Villeneuve had with his lap.

"That was a pretty bad lap," said the former World Champion, who ended up 16th.

"We were struggling with the handling this morning so we made some changes with the tyre pressures and temperatures and things like that, and they didn't really work out this afternoon. The car was just sliding around all over the place."