Smedley backs struggling Massa

Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley believes Felipe Massa is edging back to his best, ahead of the British Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Brazilian has been well below his best over the past 12 months and the 31-year-old has only managed to score 11 points in his last eight meetings. There have been indications that the South American will lose his seat with Ferrari come the end of the season, as his contract with the Italian outfit is set to expire. However, Smedley believes Massa is on the up and will start producing some results in the coming weeks. He told the team's official website: "Right now, going into Silverstone, there is very little that Felipe is lacking for him to be back where he was in terms of driving and confidence in the car. "However, in terms of his pace in those recent races and the way he was driving and his confidence, he is a different driver to the way he was at the start of the season. So, we are missing very little, maybe a tiny one per cent to make it all start happening for us."