Aug.4 (GMM) The Italian press was all praise for Felipe Massa in the wake of the Hungarian grand prix.

Following McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton's earlier dominance of the event, Brazilian Massa looked set for an inspired win against the odds until his Ferrari engine cruelly failed within kilometres of snatching back the championship lead.

"What more can Ferrari ask of its driver?" the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport wondered.

Another difficult weekend for reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen, however, leaves speculation raging about the future of Ferrari's other driver.

"He seems a pale imitation of the driver of the past," Tuttosport, an Italian national sports newspaper, said.

"This Raikkonen is not the driver that Ferrari needs. He needs to ask himself whether he really still has the desire."

The Finn himself is refusing to commit to formula one beyond 2009, but he insists the rumours about his future - especially those predicting retirement at the end of this season - are without basis.

"I never said anything like that. Somebody made it up," Raikkonen said.