Massa expecting Monaco improvement

ROME, May 24, 2011 (AFP) - Ferrari driver Felipe Massa says he expects the team to produce an improved showing in Monaco this weekend after a poor showing in Barcelona.

Meanwhile the Scuderia has also undergone a restructuring among the technical staff.

But turning to matters on the track, Massa said on his blog on the Ferrari website that problems with the hard compound tyres had ruined the team's chances in Spain.

"We had hoped to do much better than this in performance terms and also I suffered our first technical failure of the season," he said.

"We had expected our main rivals to be strong in Barcelona, given the fact our car is not quite as efficient as theirs in terms of aerodynamic downforce.

"However, what we had not expected was to suffer so much on the new hard compound tyre that Pirelli had introduced for this race.

"You could see the effect clearly in the race. Myself and Fernando (Alonso) were both able to fight at first (on softs) with him doing better than me as he was actually at the front thanks to his start, while I was fighting with the Mercedes guys, passing them to move up to sixth.

"But after that, once I fitted the hard tyres, it was almost impossible to drive the car.

"I ended up losing all the places I had gained, then I had a spin and eventually with a few laps to go, I had to park the car at the side of the track as I could not select any gears.

"Meanwhile Fernando went from leading the race to being one lap down within the space of about 40 laps which is an unbelievable situation. "I would say that in Spain, it looked as though Red Bull and McLaren were the only teams able to exploit the hard tyres properly.

"Starting with free practice this Thursday at Monaco, we begin a run of three Grand Prix using Pirelli's soft and super soft and that should work better for us.

"They will definitely suit the characteristics of our car which is a positive factor."

Ferrari have moved quickly to address their poor performance in Barcelona as Aldo Costa has been removed as Technical Director to take on new responsibilities within the company.

"At the same time, the technical activity has been restructured in three areas: director for the chassis side is Pat Fry, production is in the hands of Corrado Lanzone, while engine and electronics continues with Luca Marmorini," read a Ferrari statement.

"All three report directly to the team principal, Stefano Domenicali."