Massa to use Monaco setup in Canada

Jun.5 (GMM) Although the complete opposite of Monaco, Felipe Massa on Tuesday was bound for Canada with his mind still firmly on the famous Principality.

Trapped in a worsening slump since the start of the 2012 season, Massa's tumbling form had triggered speculation the Brazilian was fighting for his career in Monaco.

Felipe Massa, Scuderia Ferrari

Photo by: xpb.cc

But on those fabled streets, he appeared to turn the corner.

"I really liked the car there," the 31-year-old said on Tuesday, "and it was working in the right direction to suit my style and I hope this positive trend can continue, starting with the race in Canada and then through to the end of the championship."

Indeed, Monaco was apparently such a turning point that his engineering team, led by Briton Rob Smedley, intend to use Massa's Monaco car setup as the foundation for this weekend, in spite of the diametrically opposed lines of Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Massa admitted that "the setup required for Monaco is very different to that at other tracks", but "even if the street circuit is unique, we can at least follow the direction we took there and make it work at other tracks".

"It might not be a normal situation, but maybe it is the best direction to go in to make the F2012 work for me," he added.