Felipe Massa has admitted that Ferrari’s 2012 car needs a lot of work to ensure its a front-runner by the time it comes to the first race in Australia.
The Brazilian was behind the wheel of the F2012 on Tuesday and set the seventh quickest time, almost two seconds slower than Michael Schumacher in the 2011-spec Mercedes.
Whilst test times mean very little, Massa admits there is much work to be done.
“It is a brand new car and it is not a car that we had in the last year – even at the start,” he said. “It is a car that needs a lot more work, and a lot more things to try as well.
“Today I did so many laps, just trying such different things on the car. It was a day where we had to concentrate so much on the little stuff, the little things that we need to understand, where we need to collect a lot of data. And I am sure it will be like that even tomorrow – even to concentrate on the next test.”
Ferrari haven’t been as forthcoming with confidence over the winter, unlike Red Bull and McLaren, as they look to come back from a disappointing 2011.
When asked if he experienced any negative surprises on Tuesday, he replied: “You always get them with a new car. Sometimes you don’t see the result that you expect. Plus some other parts as well, you have a different direction.
“So I think it is just the beginning of a big job to have a consistent and competitive car.”
