SAO PAOLO, March 4, 2008 (AFP) - Brazilian driver Felipe Massa is putting his faith in the capability of Ferrari´s updated 2008 car to power him to his first ever Formula One title.

"Ferrari has managed to construct a really great car for this season, ironing out the weak points of the one we used last year," said Massa here on Tuesday.

"All my pre-season performances indicate that I´ve got a car capable of allowing me to fight for victory," Massa told a press conference ahead of the first leg of the 2008 F1 season in Melbourne on March 16.

Massa struggled from inconsistency in the 2007 title race finishing fourth behind teammate Kimi Raikkonen and McLaren duo Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

Assessing the strength of those rivals in the upcoming season he said: "My main rivals will be Kimi and Hamilton.

"If you have to take on Alonso it´s better that he´s driving for the French team than McLaren because it seems to me that Renault aren´t at the same level as McLaren."

Massa welcomed new rules doing away with automatic starting aids and the return to manual procedures.

"The credit for a good start will no longer go to the engineers, but to the driver. We´ll have to hit the accelerator hard."