Hockenheim, 22 July – Felipe Massa rushed from the team motorhome to the media motorhome to avoid the pouring rain, as he went for his usual Thursday appointment with the press. He was asked to sum up the first half of the season. “We have not had the results we expected and in particular, the last three races were the worst,” began the Brazilian. “What makes them really the worst is that we had all the potential to pick up a big number of points. But looking at the positive side, over the last two races, we saw an improvement in terms of car performance that will be useful of course for the second part of the championship. I hope we have a better time from now to the end of the season. Yes, there has been some bad luck and I believe in good and bad luck – what else would you call what happened to me at the final corner of the 2008 championship? But luck only plays a secondary part. In terms of my own difficulties on track, I have found it tough racing on the hard tyres, although much easier on the soft ones and I have tried to adapt my driving style accordingly. I prefer to drive a car with a lot of front grip, so even if I find a car with a lot of oversteer, but the front end is working properly, then I can work with the engineers to improve the rear end of the car. That is how I have always driven and this year’s narrow tyres have not helped my driving style.”

Even though this German GP weekend has not even started in terms of track action, the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver was asked what it would mean to him, returning to Hungary in one week’s time, to the scene of the accident that ended his 2009 season. “It will be something special, because of what happened to me last year, so I am really looking forward to going back to Hungary,” said Felipe. “It will be important on a personal level also, as I plan to go back to the hospital in Budapest, where they looked after me immediately after the accident. They took good care of me and I want to say hello to everyone and enjoy a conversation with them. If that sounds emotional, it is, because what happened to me last year was a significant moment in my life, a big thing and in one way very special from a human point of view.”

Felipe Massa admits he is not at all happy with how the first half of the season has gone for him, but says recent setbacks have given him fresh motivation to turn his fortunes around.

The Brazilian started the year solidly, taking two podium finishes in the first two races and briefly holding the championship lead, but has not scaled the rostrum since and has been overshadowed by Ferrari team-mate Fernando Alonso.

After failing to score points in the past three rounds and slumping to eighth in the standings, Massa feels he is overdue a change of luck.

“For sure I'm not happy,” he said in an interview with Ferrari’s website ahead of the German Grand Prix.

“The beginning of the season was not like I expected. The first two races were okay – we got two podiums – and then we didn't have good races, especially in the last three.

“When you have three races in a row where something happens in the race and you cannot finish or score points, and you go from being in a good position to suddenly being last because something has happened, these things are not nice.

“That was the case in Canada because of the accident at the first corner, in Valencia because of the safety car, and at Silverstone where I had a tyre issue and went from fifth to completely last.

“These things are not nice but they give me even more motivation to keep pushing and I’m looking for a good result in the next race.”

Massa reckons Ferrari is now making tangible progress with the development of its F10 car, giving him cause for optimism that he will have a better second half to the campaign.

“I would say in the last two races, we brought some new parts on the car which I think were good improvements,” he said.

“Compared to the previous races I think we made a step forward and we had a more competitive car.

“I think it’s important to keep your motivation that the car is [gaining performance], and I definitely hope that for the next race we have an even better car.”

He says his main challenge remains to overcome the difficulty he has had in adapting to this year’s harder tyres, which has blunted his qualifying speed and left him with a lot of ground to make up on race days.

“This year we have very hard tyres, and in some races we have the hardest [compound] tyre and it’s difficult to get the temperature in them at some tracks where it’s a little bit cold and the asphalt is not very abrasive,” he said.

“I have struggled in qualifying to get the tyres to the right temperature. Not a lot in the race – in any race where I was struggling in qualifying, in the race it was good.

“But that was the main issue – to have the right temperature and the right grip for the first lap in qualifying.

“If you don’t have that then you are struggling and you can’t do the lap time you want.

Fernando Alonso has called on Ferrari to execute a faultless German Grand Prix weekend to ensure that it capitalises on its improving car and keeps its dimming title hopes alive.

The Spaniard brushed off his recent setbacks after the last grand prix at Silverstone, insisting Ferrari could mount a comeback and fight for both championships.

And although he trails leader Lewis Hamilton by 47 points – or almost two race wins – Alonso still believes anything is possible given the frequent shifts in momentum this season and the new points system.

“We saw this year that if you have two or three bad races or two or three good races, it can change completely the picture of the championship,” he said in a video interview on Ferrari’s website.

“We arrive [in Germany] after two bad races with not many points, [but] I think before long we will arrive at a good moment.

“We need to take the maximum from our car, do two or three podiums in a row, and I'm sure with the new points system we can be in the fight for the championship very soon.”

He expects the competition at the front to be intense at Hockenheim, especially in qualifying, but feels a podium is within reach.

“Hockenheim can be a good race for us, why not?

“The circuit is not too complicated and I think the time gap between the cars will be very small, because we will be running 1m15s laps more or less.

“So I expect a very tough battle in qualifying; maybe in one or two-tenths you can be second or eighth on the grid.

“So we need to do a perfect weekend; we need to maximise our potential and if we do that I’m sure we can fight for the podium again.”

Alonso spent much of last week at Ferrari’s factory in Maranello and said his upbeat mood was shared on the shop floor.

“Overall I felt a very good atmosphere in the team,” he said.

“All the guys in Maranello are very, very focused on fighting for this championship.

“After these two bad races people are even more motivated than before because they feel we deserve a good race finally.”

Despite the paucity of its results Ferrari has closed the performance gap to Red Bull and McLaren in recent races, and Alonso feels the Scuderia is now a force to be reckoned with on all types of circuit.

“I think the performance of the car at Silverstone was very, very good – a good surprise for us,” he said.

“The performance of the car in Valencia was very good, so two different circuits and the performance of the car was good enough to be fighting for a good position on the podium.

“So I think for the remaining races we are very optimistic.

Kimi Raikkonen says he has plenty of options for 2011 as rumours of a return to Formula 1 continue to swirl, but declined to give any hints as to whether he will continue with his rallying career.

The 2007 world champion dramatically quit F1 at the end of last season when a planned return to McLaren fell through, and switched to the World Rally Championship with Citroen's Junior team.

With his rallying programme backed by Red Bull, there was initially speculation that he was being lined up to return to F1 and take Mark Webber's seat next year - but Webber's great form this year and subsequent contract renewal swiftly quashed that story.

There has subsequently been talk of a serious approach from Renault, and gossip linking the 'Ice Man' to Mercedes.

But this week's Autosport magazine carried a report suggesting Raikkonen would spurn any F1 offers and instead commit to at least one more year in rallying, having started to get to grips with the very different sport following an inconsistent start.

However the article said that his deal would be with Red Bull's motorsport programme rather than the Citroen rally squad specifically - leaving the door open to a potential longer-term F1 return with one of Red Bull's teams, or even a move to NASCAR, where the drinks giant also has a squad.

When quizzed about his plans during last weekend's Rally Bulgaria, Raikkonen refused to give anything away, but confirmed that he was facing some tough choices for 2011.

"For sure I’ll let everybody know, when I make the decision," he said.

"There are always options to do many things.

"I have to take the right one for myself."

Raikkonen is currently 10th in the WRC standings, with a fifth place in Turkey his highest finish so far.

If the fact that Fernando Alonso recorded the fastest race lap in the British Grand Prix confirms how much the F10 has improved in recent weeks, sadly Sunday’s final result did not reflect this: The Spaniard finished fourteenth, with team-mate Felipe Massa one place behind him. The race was won by Mark Webber for Red Bull, ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren, with Nico Rosberg completing the podium trio for Mercedes. Punctures for both our drivers and a contentious drive-through penalty for Fernando ruined their races, which had looked so encouraging yesterday afternoon, after they had secured third and seventh places on the grid.

As the lights went out, Webber got the better of pole man Vettel, with the German trying to squeeze past the Australian into the first corner. Vettel ran wide and then had to pit immediately with a puncture. Also pitting was Felipe, who had been running side by side with Fernando, the Spaniard not having made a very good start. The two F10s touched and the Brazilian’s right rear tyre was damaged and so the necessary stop dropped him to the back of the pack. At this stage Fernando was fifth, behind Webber, Hamilton, Kubica and Rosberg. On lap 12, the Spanish Ferrari man pitted earlier than planned to try and jump some traffic, but the move did not pay off and dropped him to twelfth place, although many ahead of him had yet to pit. However, the stop had not been enough to get him ahead of Kubica and by lap 16, Fernando was right up behind the Renault and was trying to pass him and one lap later, as he pulled alongside the Pole, he was forced to run wide over a kerb, but came out in front of the Renault. The Stewards took nine laps to decide to give the Spaniard a drive-through penalty for this move and he took it on lap 30. Unfortunately, this was immediately after the restart from a safety car period, so that Alonso had no option but to slide down the order. This ruined his race, because up to this point, Fernando looked set to make up for his poor start and was just one step away from the podium places, if he could pass Rosberg, as others in front of him such as Hulkenberg, had yet to pit. After the safety car came in, Felipe was thirteenth behind Buemi’s Toro Rosso, while Fernando was sixteenth behind Liuzzi in the Force India. On lap 34, it was Fernando’s turn to pass Buemi after a lap long duel. However, there was even more trouble for the Spanish Ferrari driver, as slight contact with Liuzzi’s Force India meant he too had a puncture, which dropped him to fourteenth. On lap 40, having had to pit on the opening lap, Felipe came in again for a fresh set of tyres, after surviving a thankfully harmless spin into the gravel and took the flag behind his team-mate.

Behind the podium trio, fourth place went to Button in the McLaren, followed by Barrichello (Williams,) Kobayashi (Sauber,) Vettel (Red Bull) who was thrown a life line by the Safety Car which allowed him to make his way up to seventh, with Sutil (Force India,) Schumacher (Mercedes) and Hulkenberg (Williams,) filling the remaining points positions.

With no points for the Prancing Horse today, the Scuderia is still third in the Constructors’ championship, 113 points behind the leader, McLaren and 84 behind second placed Red Bull. Fernando and Felipe are fifth and eighth respectively in the Drivers’ classification.

The day after the British Grand Prix, many of the most famous national and international papers have focussed on the fact that in the fastest sport in the world, decision are taken slowly. In Italy’s “La Gazzetta dello Sport” the pen of Umberto Zapelloni hones in on the argument, speaking of a “Formula Lullaby”: “One could be led to believe that the sporting authority travels at two speeds, but always penalises in one direction... Certainly the rules are respected, but there remains the suspicion that too often, when it concerns a grey area in the rules, those rules are dealt with according to who is to be penalised.” “Il Giornale” speaks of a race director and stewards who are legitimised to do what they want: “The drive-through connected to Kubica, who had already retired and after Ferrari had repeatedly asked what it should do, is either a joke or a matter of great suspicion.” Among the Spanish press, “Marca” talks of the bits of wing left on the track for two laps before the Safety Car was called out: “People wishing to think the worst could imagine that Fernando’s penalty was delayed until it would do as much damage as possible,” while “AS” underlines the delay in instructing the driver to give back the position to the other driver: “It is clear that the penalty handed out later was disproportionate and unjust.” In the English press, “The Independent” highlights the coincidence of the drive-through being handed out at the same time as the Safety Car period, while “The Guardian” talks of a penalty that was “probably too harsh.”

We have quoted various Italian and international papers, but the general opinion is more or less unanimous. Having said that, for the record, there are some who preferred to concentrate solely on criticism of the Maranello team and its drivers. The same is true for the tifosi and those who are just fans of Formula 1: the overwhelming majority share, in more or less the same tone, the opinions stated above, while a very small minority put forward the opposite view. Furthermore, the most committed Ferrari fans, those who subscribe to the on-line community on our site, will be able to put all their questions to none other than Fernando Alonso, who will be hosting his own video chat, this afternoon at 17h00.

For the first time this season, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro finished a race without scoring a single point. It was clear the two Ferrari men would have a difficult Sunday immediately after the first few corners.

Fernando made a bad start and came into contact with Felipe, who sustained slight damage to the front wing, but more importantly, a puncture on the right rear tyre. The Brazilian had to pit, thus dropping to the back of the field. Fernando found himself fifth and for a long time, fought with Rosberg and then after his pit stop, with Kubica. Indeed, his duel with the Polish driver led to the second crucial episode of his race: the Stewards deemed that the Spaniard should give back the position, but by the time the information was given, Kubica was slowing with a problem that would lead to his retirement. Subsequently, Fernando was given a drive-through which, coming at the same time as a Safety Car period, meant he dropped to the back of the group of un-lapped drivers. Two punctures late on, first for Felipe and then Fernando were a further indication that this was a bleak day. It is little consolation that both drivers repeatedly set the fastest race laps in the final stages.

Stefano Domenicali: “We seem to be really cursed at the moment, when everything that could go wrong, does. We are not happy, but we must not feel sorry for ourselves. Instead, we have to react calmly, remaining focussed and continuing to work in the way we did over the past few weeks. We go home with no points, but with the knowledge that we have a potential, in terms of the car, the team and the drivers, that is up to the right level to deal with the situation. We must not allow ourselves to give in to frustration: I am sure that the results and the points that have been lacking for so many reasons recently, will come. Clearly, the championship situation is looking complicated but we remain convinced we can still fight for the title. We will continue to push on the development of the F10, confident in our chances to make up the ground we have lost up until today.”

“I made a horrible start – we had some problems with the clutch – and then came the incident with Kubica which further affected my race. I do not wish to comment on the Stewards’ decision. The team acted correctly but the instruction to hand back the position arrived when I had already passed another driver and in the meantime, Kubica was visibly slowing down before retiring. On top of that, the penalty coincided with the Safety Car and so, rather than just losing a couple of positions, I lost around a dozen. Even with my difficult start, I am convinced I could have finished third, but instead I go home with nothing. The championship situation is definitely looking more difficult, but we have only just gone past the halfway point of the season and anything can still happen. The car is better and I was flying when I had a clear track ahead of me: we must continue to work and believe in ourselves.”

“I don’t know what to do, but I have to find some way of getting rid of the bad luck that is following me around! In the last few races, everything has happened to me. Today my race was soon over, when I touched with Fernando and got a puncture which dropped me to the back of the pack. The car was going well, but that’s not much use if you cannot get a result. The championship is not over after this race, but clearly my situation is compromised: I would need to win a lot of races while others run into the same difficulties that have come my way in recent races. However, we must not give up: we will keep our heads high and continue to push on the development of the car and then see what results come our way.”

Last Sunday's controversial European Grand Prix is still a hot topic of debate on the Ferrari.com site. Some people, like Franco Sacchi are still very angry: "the race directors acted like dilettantes, the judgments were not up to scratch and rules were unclear. Enough, it is now time for change" while others are less strident but continue to protest. Lorenzo.Cloud wants to see a protest organised against the FIA: "Give me the email of some bigwig at the FIA to whom we can forward our protests, I would be more than happy to do it, just to make it clear to these gentlemen what the current mood is."

Stefano Lago examines the situation and reveals the problem is not just about overtaking the safety car: "If Hamilton had stayed where he should have been and had crossed the line 6th or 7th, the Valencia race would still have had a false result because of the incompetent way the race director managed the Safety Car. It would be interesting to know what the English bookmakers think of such an artificially manipulated result."

Others, like Goodwood from England, underline the fact it is not just about a dispute between the English and Italians: "I didn't see any insults to Brits by Ferrari fans" even if the idea of having stewards of the same nationality as the drivers is considered impractical by the fan, Scuderia Star: "F1 is an international sport. You won't find a single nationality which is not involved. Another asks a question that will never be answered: "I would just like to see that such a scenario happens, Hamilton and that he might be injured party, and to see how he would behave and McLaren ..." asks Dragan

Kimi Raikkonen could be asked to test formula one tyres for the sport's new exclusive supplier Pirelli. It has emerged that the Italian company will supply two sets of tyres to each team at a special Abu Dhabi test immediately after November's season finale

As for the driver, Nick Heidfeld had been touted, but this might have handed an unfair advantage to Mercedes.

According to Finland's Turun Sanomat, Pirelli's racing boss Paul Hembery proposed in Valencia that Finn Raikkonen could be an option.

The 2007 world champion left Ferrari at the end of last year and currently drives full-time in the Pirelli-shod world rally championship.

"I don't know whether Kimi Raikkonen would be interested," Hembery is quoted as saying.

The 18 grand prix winner's manager Steve Robertson said: "Currently, Kimi is totally focused on what he is doing.

"But if Pirelli approaches us, of course we will discuss it. Then, it would depend on whether Kimi is interested in this sort of challenge, and how it would fit into his schedule," he added.