After just one day of testing, Felipe Massa says his new F138 is a marked improvement on last year's Ferrari.
The Brazilian was in action on the opening day of pre-season testing, putting his F138 through its pace at the Jerez circuit.
Asked to compare his first day of running this year to last year's, Massa told Autosport: "I think if you compare to last year it is a completely different planet.
"Last year I remember we were struggling a lot to drive the car. It was tricky to keep the car on the track, so this year the base on the car is completely different to last year.
"The car is much more balanced. I felt a good direction on the rear of the car as well, with traction. This is a track that is very difficult on the rear, degradation is very high. I would say that the difference to last year is huge."
Massa, though, concedes there is still a long way to go with the car after finishing sixth on Tuesday's timesheets, 1.675s behind pace-setter Jenson Button.
"The 1m18.8s [Button's time] is an incredible time definitely, but the 1m19.7s [of second fastest Mark Webber] I don't think is.
"If you look at the first day, looking at how we ran, how we drove and the direction we had for the first day, I am not really disappointed.
"There is a lot to do, a lot to work on, a lot to develop on the car for the first race. That is clear. But I am not disappointed."
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