Bullish Massa vows to bounce back

FERRARI’S Felipe Massa insists he will “fight until the last lap of the last race” in his battle with Lewis Hamilton for the 2008 Formula One drivers’ crown.

The Brazilian trails his McLaren rival by seven points following his no-score in Singapore last time out, a result brought about by a pit-lane blunder that saw Massa set off from his pit box before the refuelling hose had been removed from his car.

Third place for Hamilton in that race saw the Briton ease into a commanding position at the head of the standings with three rounds remaining, but Massa is determined to get his challenge back on track at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji.

“This season we have shown good mental strength after bad performances,” said Massa.

“There’s still 30 points to fight for. We will definitely not give up. We will fight until the last lap of the last race. That’s all I have on my mind now.

“First of all we need to think about reducing the seven points. Seven points can be nothing. Hopefully we can bounce back now and win races again.”

Massa has raised his game considerably this season to consistently out-pace his world champion team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.

The Brazilian has won five races this season — more than any other driver — but errors by both driver and team have cost him in other races.

He nevertheless remains well in the title race, and it will not be lost on him that he could seal his maiden F1 crown on home soil at the final race of the season — and in doing so emulate Ayrton Senna, the last Brazilian world champion in 1991.

“If we put everything together and make it, it would be more than a dream come true,” he said.

“It would be something really indescribable for a Brazilian driver. It would be fantastic for my country. But now is not the right time to think about it.”

Meanwhile, Formula One chiefs will meet following the Chinese Grand Prix on October 19 to discuss a range of urgent issues affecting the sport, including the ongoing global credit crisis.

The announcement was made following talks between FIA president Max Mosley and Luca di Montezemolo, the president of Ferrari and chairman of the newly-formed Formula One Teams’ Association.