Talk Steer: Tony Dodgins on...

One to go. Seven points in it. Lewis or Felipe?

What kind of opponent is Hamilton taking on? A year or so ago, Massa was not regarded as a Ferrari team leader. He was fast, yes, but error prone. And perhaps emotionally fragile. That was the perception.

Cynics, who numbered among them such as Niki Lauda, wondered whether Felipe's contract had more to do with the fact that Nicolas Todt was on a healthy slice of him and Jean Todt was in charge. But there's more to Massa than that. Last year proved it and this season has underlined it.

Applying nothing other than an unhealthy dose of national stereotyping, some smiled at the emotional potential of a young Latin driver in the spotlight of the planet's most high profile, Italian, racing team. But to find out what Felipe's really like, you end up talking to a down-to-earth Teessider - race engineer Rob Smedley.

Smedley was with Ferrari's test team when they confirmed Massa as a race driver alongside Schumacher. Felipe had been scheduled to work with Gabriele Delli Colli, who had looked after Rubens Barrichello. But Delli Colli's wife was expecting a baby and Smedley ended up running Felipe in the Bahrain test. They hit it off and when Felipe and Gabriele struggled for results in the first four races, Ross Brawn made the switch.

To get the best out of any driver he has to feel comfortable in his environment and, increasingly, Massa has. The first thing Smedley disabused him of was the notion that he was going to beat Schumacher. That, at first, had been the expectation of some of Felipe's people and perhaps even Massa himself. Relax and you'll get there, he was told. Smedley helped him do it.

On a one year deal, Felipe didn't know if he had the time to relax, but he played it smart. Schumacher had points in the bag and Felipe got right behind him, supported him all he could. Schumacher developed a soft spot for him and firmly supported Massa's contract extension. To arrive at that point from a shaky start with the team unsure about his completeness, was a political victory.

"He's grown up so much," Smedley says. "He can now understand how strong he is without the rest of the world telling him. He's mentally strong and bloody quick."

For proof of that, look at Massa's Valencia win on the back of the disappointment in Budapest.

"He was gutted after Hungary," Smedley concedes. "He'd come from third on the grid, passed the two McLarens, had ten points in the bag and then the poor lad has the engine break three laps from the end. We all had a few tears, of course, but you've got to pick yourself up. You always have to look for the positives. Fuel-adjusting qualifying we saw how very quick we were, then the move at the first corner and how he subsequently closed out the race, was brilliant. We talked a lot on Monday and by Tuesday he was upbeat again, realised there were plenty of races left and came back brilliantly in Valencia."

Some suggest that Massa has the upper hand at Ferrari simply because Raikkonen can't always get enough heat into the spec tyres to generate a qualifying lap and hence starts too far back. The problem disappears in the races, when Kimi has had a whole string of fastest laps, but by then it's too late.

"It's a factor," Smedley says, "but I think there are 20 factors. If I have to be perfectly frank, I think right now Felipe is quicker. I find it a bit unfair that people say he looks good because Kimi is having a really bad time. You make your own bed and Felipe has done. He's a good lad, easy to work with and he's really pulled himself up. He works very, very hard and I can't give him enough credit. You saw his race today. He was absolutely stunning."

I was talking to Smedley straight after the Fuji race, after that pass of Webber. Truth told, Mark's defence looked marginal and I was impressed that Massa made nothing of it.

"Mark's a very strong driver and you've got to really pick your moment to pass people like him," Smedley said. "But I'd told Felipe we were ninth and he had to go all out for points. We either had to pass him or go off trying. But he was so brave. You can't knock a guy and say he doesn't know how to win from the back when he's driven a race like that."

Looking ahead, Smedley's feet are firmly emplanted on terra firma but he's optimistic.

"I'm confident in terms of the car and driver package. The latter part of the season we've been so quick with very few blips. The last one was Hockenheim and we know why, which is important."

Rest assured, Lewis isn't going to have it easy.