Massa chases his moment in F1 spotlight

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Ferrari's Felipe Massa rightly talked of the "dark clouds" clearing after his first win (and finish) of the season at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Brazilian was under increasing pressure after retiring in Australia with engine problems and sliding out in Malaysia when lying second.

His situation had been further undermined by rumors Renault's Fernando Alonso had an escape clause in his contract that would allow him to quit the struggling French team at the end of the season and move to Ferrari.

The Scuderia moved to quash the rumors, spokesman Luca Cordero saying his "future is not in question."

On Ferrari's Web site they also dismissed worries about the Brazilian's form.

"There are similarities between the situation our Brazilian finds himself in now and that he encountered 12 months ago," the statement said.

"He had a difficult run over the first couple of races and was very much in the media spotlight, facing criticism to which he reacted in the best possible way by taking a convincing victory in the desert."

Indeed, Massa seems to be plagued by bouts of bad luck. Last season he was the victim of technical glitch in Australia, was disqualified in Montreal, his car stalled on the grid at Silverstone and a refueling stop went wrong in Hungary.

Despite all this he still managed to finish fourth in the drivers' championship with 94 points -- only 16 behind team-mate and champion Kimi Raikkonen.

This year he has qualified fourth, first and second respectively on the grid, only to see his chances ruined twice.

His relief after winning in Bahrain was obvious.

"Sensational! Finally, after a start to the championship under dark clouds, I can see the sunshine again," Massa said.

"We knew we could count on a great car and that certainly proved to be the case, given that I never had to push to the maximum once I was in the lead.

"Clearly, I always had in mind what happened in Malaysia and so I tried to pay attention all the time, to ensure I brought the car home. It is nice to be back in the winner's position here in Sakhir, a track I have always liked."

Massa rewarded himself with a holiday in the sun -- taking his parents and wife to Dubai for a quick break before returning to testing.

However, he continued to express his delight (and relief) on his Web site.

"The win came at just the right time and getting my name on the scoreboard at last... I was not affected by the comments in the media about me.

"It was a nice feeling to win, especially after my bad start to the season."

The Brazilian was upbeat about the return to Europe, saying Ferrari had to build more consistency.

It's a goal, with a bit of good luck, he will no doubt be aiming to achieve personally. E-mail to a friend

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