Planet-F1

Massa: Lewis isn't out of the running

Tuesday 24th June 2008

Felipe Massa is refusing to rule Lewis Hamilton out of the World title equation following a disastrous two weeks for the McLaren star.

Massa was on Sunday celebrating taking the lead in the Championship for the first time in his career after clinching victory in France.

As for Hamilton, he was left staring at a 10-point gap to Massa following a drive-through penalty that robbed him of the opportunity of a points finish as he could only manage 10th.

Despite criticism, particularly for his mistake in the Canadian Grand Prix when he hit a stationary Kimi Raikkonen from behind in the pit lane, Massa feels Hamilton is not out of the running.

He said: "Well, I didn't score in the first two races and I'm leading.

"Kimi didn't score in the last two races (before the French Grand Prix) as well and he's completely fighting for the Championship, so we cannot take anybody away from the fight at the moment.

"It's only the middle of the Championship, and it's a long way to go to the last race."

Hamilton, though, is not Massa's only concern as BMW's Robert Kubica is two points adrift, with Ferrari team-mate Raikkonen five behind after the Finn came home second to give the team their third one-two of the season.

It leaves Ferrari in a dominant position in the Constructors' Championship, but team boss Stefano Domenicali knows he cannot discount BMW and McLaren, just as Massa feels Hamilton remains a threat.

"We have pulled out more of a gap in the Constructors' classification, giving us a bit of breathing space, but we cannot afford to ease up," said Domenicali.

"There is still a long way to go, and our rivals will do all they can to beat us, so we must keep our heads down and work in a determined fashion."