Massa still wary of Hamilton threat

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

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

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.

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

"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 Sauber'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 Sauber 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."

Ferrari is assessing the reason behind the exhaust issue that cost reigning world champion Raikkonen the victory.

The exhaust broke just before the midway point of the race, resulting in a loss of power and allowing Massa to pass, before eventually snapping off completely towards the end.

Domenicali has confirmed Raikkonen will almost certainly require an engine change for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 6, but as it will be the first of the season in the Finn's car, it will be without penalty.

"I would say it is quite likely we will change the engine," confirmed Domenicali.

"After such a heavy race from middle to the end, it's very likely we have to change it, so we need to play the joker that allows us to do it."

"But there's no rush to do anything more than eventually change it when we go to Silverstone."