Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali has advised Felipe Massa to stay calm after a difficult first half of the season and is confident results will come for the Brazilian in the final eight races.
Massa has not yet finished on the podium this season and team-mate Fernando Alonso is currently 64 points clear in the drivers' standings. Massa is contracted to Ferrari for another year and Domenicali said he has the team's full support.
"I have seen that he was clearly on the up in the last three races and I am sure he will do very well in the second part of the year," Domenicali said. "Felipe has to stay calm and make the most of his talents, of which there are many: he is a very quick driver over a single lap, but maybe he needs to improve a bit in terms of his consistency in the races.
"It is definitely not easy being paired with someone like Fernando, but that should be a motivation for him not an excuse. For us, it is vital for Felipe to be on top of his game, given that for at least another year and a half, he is one of our drivers."
McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton was recently asked by the Spanish press if he would be interested in a move to Ferrari to slot in alongside Alonso. He said he had not given the subject much thought, but added "you never know what could happen in the future."
Domenicali played down any suggestions that Hamilton could move to the team and said that the likely replacement for Massa would be a much younger driver.
"I am pleased he said never say never on the subject of Ferrari, in fact it is logical that everyone aspires to come to Maranello sooner or later, given what we represent in the history of this sport," he said. "Having said that, I don't think the question will arise, neither in the short nor in the long term. For the Ferrari of the future, I believe the right combination is to have one well established driver with great experience, alongside a talented youngster on the way up. I do not think that, with the pressure we are under, we can consider having two youngsters in the team at the same time."
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