Felipe Massa admits Ferrari need to start scoring big points if the team hopes to claim either of this season's two World titles.
Although Massa finished fourth in last Sunday's Belgian GP, it was all round a disappointing outcome for Ferrari as the Brazilian was their only driver to score with Fernando Alonso retiring after crashing into the barriers.
Some of the damage, though, caused by Alonso's retirement was negated by the fact that their title rivals, McLaren and Red Bull, had only one driver apiece finish in the points.
However, Massa's 12 did nothing to narrow the gap to the leading duo as Lewis Hamilton netted 25 for McLaren while Mark Webber finished second for Red Bull Racing.
"Looking back a couple of days to the Belgian Grand Prix, I started sixth and finished fourth, so at a certain level, I could say that I had a good race," Massa told Ferrari's official website.
"In terms of the result and in terms of the Championship and the points total for Ferrari, it was not enough.
"Given the difficult conditions, with the weather changing several times during the race, this was a positive performance in difficult conditions.
"However it was not what I expected, or what the team had hoped for, given the fact that in Spa, the car was not as competitive as it had been in the two previous races in Hungary and Germany.
"This was probably another example of how, this year, the situation in terms of which teams are competitive, has been governed by the nature of the track.
"On Friday, we had looked very strong, while we were less so on Saturday and Sunday, so maybe our competitors did not show their full potential on the first day. This meant the whole weekend was more difficult than we expected.
"On Sunday, the changing conditions meant that just staying on the track was quite difficult and given how easy it was to make a mistake, I was pleased with my performance, even if I had a solitary race, never really being able to challenge those ahead, while I did not have much pressure from behind."
The Brazilian has already turned his attention to the next race on the calendar, the Italian Grand Prix, where he hopes a solid podium finish - or even a victory - will help Ferrari's title quest.
"I am Maranello, where I had meetings with my engineers and also did a session on our simulator, in preparation for the next round, the team's home grand prix at Monza," he said.
"That will be a great event, racing in front of our tifosi, but the reality is that it will be a very important race, because after the less that satisfactory performance in Belgium, the Championship is not looking so easy for us.
"We need to keep pushing for the last six races, trying to be back in the fight for wins or at least as many podiums as possible. For sure it won't be easy."
