(from autosport) FELIPE MASSA is positive ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix following an encouraging test at the Monza circuit last week. The Ferrari driver, winner of the last race in Valencia, will arrive in Spa six points behind championship leader Lewis Hamilton and hoping for a trouble-free weekend following the Italian team's problems in the last two races. "I spent two days testing in Monza last week and generally the results were positive, although my work load was aimed entirely at the Italian Grand Prix and I did not really try anything specifically for the Spa circuit," said Massa in a team preview. "Even though I was concentrating on the demands of the Monza track, we did a lot of mileage which was important from the reliability point of view for this weekend in Belgium, especially on the engine front." Massa finished second to teammate Kimi Raikkonen in last year's race at Spa, and the Brazilian reckons the world champion will be hard to beat this time too, despite his recent slump in performance. "It's always nice to be at Spa and I have good memories of last year, when we had a competitive car and the team got a one-two finish," Massa added. "I hope we can repeat that performance and have a car that is good enough to keep ahead of the McLarens, which of course is our main target at the moment. "I will also be hoping to be ahead of my teammate, but Kimi has always been quick at Spa, not just in Formula One, but he was also a winner here in the junior categories and he has won the last three Grands Prix at this track. "So for sure, it won't be easy to beat him and I am looking forward to a good battle with my teammate. The F2008 should be competitive and our aim will be to bring home as many points as possible for the team." ******************************************************************************************** KIMI RAIKKONEN has admitted that he is in need of a good result at this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix if he is not to see his world title ambitions fade completely. The Finn has not won since the Spanish Grand Prix in April and, with teammate Felipe Massa fast emerging as Lewis Hamilton's main threat for the championship, talk has already turned to the role Raikkonen may have to play in supporting the Brazilian. And, on the back of his engine failure in Valencia, Raikkonen is under no illusions that he must score well at Spa-Francorchamps if he is to recover the ground he has lost in the title chase. "We're on the eve of one of the race weekends I really like," he wrote on Ferrari's official website. "The Belgian GP is one of the highlights of the season and I usually obtain a good result at Spa. I need it more than ever after the results of the last races." Raikkonen has said that he is not worried by the criticism he has faced in recent weeks, amid questions about his motivation levels, and says he and the team are determined to work as hard as possible to repeat their title success. "It's a shame to be involved in many negative stories, but these things happen: it wasn't for the first time and it might not have been the last in my career," he said. "You just have to know how to cope with these situations. "When I was in school it was never nice to get back home with a bad mark. The only thing you could do was working harder for the next time. Today the only thing I can do is to react to this negative situation." Raikkonen again believes that the qualifying form of the F2008 is the key area where improvements are needed, and he is optimistic that some progress was made in last week's Monza test. "The tests went really well: we tested some new solutions and the overall package seems to have improved. Having said that, we only know how it will look on the track at the qualifying at Spa, because you never know how much fuel everybody has on board during the tests. I think that it will be a fierce fight; one test might not be enough to change the season's overall trend." And Raikkonen is adamant that his championship hopes are not over yet. "Obviously it would be fantastic to win it for the fourth time in a row: considering that I haven't won a race in several months, a success would help me to get back in the race for the title after the disappointment at Valencia. "Last year we managed to find a good set up for the car during the second part of the season and we won several races. We have to do the same now, because we have to close the gap in the standings. It's not impossible: 13 points are a lot, but last year I was 17 points behind the leader, with two races to go."
