Ferrari demand Massa improvement

Ferrari have cranked up the pressure on driver Felipe Massa following a disappointing start to the 2012 season.

Massa's poor opening to the new campaign continued on Sunday at the Spanish Grand Prix, where he finished 15th, and Ferrari made it clear after the race that the driver's recent performances were not up to the standard expected by the team. "Everyone, he more than anyone, is expecting a change of gear starting right away with the Monaco Grand Prix, his second home race, given that he lives just a few hundred metres from what, as from next Sunday, will be transformed into the paddock for the sixth round of the 2012 championship," read the statement. It appears that there would be no shortage of replacements should Massa be moved on by his team, with Sergio Perez, Mark Webber, Paul di Resta and Lewis Hamilton all linked with moves to Ferrari for 2013. The Brazillian driver has collected just two points this season and sits 17th in the Drivers' Championship. He is a massive 59 points behind team-mate Fernando Alonso, who is level with Red Bull's Sebastien Vettel at the top of the table.