PROFILE: Felipe Massa: Ferrari's Brazilian hope

Oct 31, 2008, 16:10 GMT

A combo picture shows British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton (L) of McLaren Mercedes and Brazilian Felipe Massa (R) of Ferrari sit in their car during the first practice session on the race track in Interlagos near Sao Paulo in Brazil, 31 October 2008. The F1 Grand Prix of Brazil will be held on 02 November 2008. EPA/ROLAND WEIHRAUCH

Hamburg - Felipe Massa has finally stepped out of the shadows at Ferrari and goes into Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix in his native city with the chance of claiming the Formula One drivers' championship.

Born in Sao Paulo on April 25, 1981, Massa has managed 10 wins, 26 podium placings and 14 pole positions in an F1 career spanning six years and 105 races. He married Anna Rafaela Bassi on November 30, 2007.

Massa's driving career began with karting at the age of eight before moving up the ranks and signing for the Sauber F1 team in 2002, partnering Nick Heidfeld.

A poor rookie season where he made his debut at the 2002 Australian GP saw Massa score just four championship points and he was replaced by Heinz-Harald Frentzen for the 2003 season.

Massa spent a year testing with Sauber's engine suppliers, Ferrari, before rejoining the Swiss team for the 2004 season, this time with Giancarlo Fisichella as his teammate.

The Brazilian amassed 12 points in that season, with his best result coming at the Belgian GP where he finished fourth. Massa remained with Sauber for the 2005 season before moving to Ferrari in 2006 to partner the legendary Michael Schumacher in his final year at the Italian marque.

Massa's first GP win came at the 2006 Turkish Grand Prix, at the Istanbul Park circuit, and this was followed by victory at his home GP at Interlagos, the first Brazilian success there since Ayrton Senna's victory in 1993.

Massa finished the season third in drivers' championship behind new world champion Fernando Alonso of Renault and teammate Schumacher.

In 2007, Massa overcame early-season engine problems and a disqualification at the Canadian GP to record victories in Spain and Bahrain as well as a second consecutive Turkish GP win.

Massa also led during much of the final race in Brazil but yielded the lead to teammate Kimi Raikkönen, who secured the drivers' title as a result.

Although he finished the year down in fourth place with 94 points, Ferrari were happy with the Brazilian's performances and extended his contract to the end of 2010.

Massa's 2008 season also started poorly as he failed to pick up a point in the opening races in Australia and Malaysia but he got off the mark with a second successive victory in Bahrain.

A second-place finish behind Raikkonen at the Spanish GP in Barcelona followed before registering a third win in a row in Turkey.

Despite qualifying on pole for the Monaco GP, Massa could only manage to come home third behind McLaren-Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.

A fifth-place finish in Canada was followed by victories in France and at the European Grand Prix in Valencia, Spain.

Massa also claimed victory in the Belgian GP but only after Hamilton was hit with a 25-second penalty for cutting a chicane while battling for the lead with Raikkonen.

A disastrous Singapore GP, when Massa finished out of the points after leaving the pits with the refuelling rig still attached to his car, seriously dented his title hopes.

Although he closed the gap on the Briton with a seventh-place finish in Japan where Hamilton finished out of the points, the McLaren driver took victory in the subsequent Chinese GP to go into the final race of the season seven points clear of Massa.