Zoom Massa needs to challenge for the title this year...

Ferrari's Felipe Massa has turned around his disappointing early form to emerge as a true candidate for the 2008 title.

That is the admission of rival team Renault's Sporting Director Steve Nielsen, who said the Brazilian driver started the season looking like he couldn't cope with the ban on traction control.

With his driver errors - Monaco aside - recently ironed out Massa has out-qualified his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen on five out of six occasions this year, winning two races, and is now only one point behind the reigning world champion in the drivers' standings.

Nielsen told Renault's post-Monaco podcast that following his abysmal opening races, 27-year-old Massa "looks like a different guy and you have to say there is a real possibility he might do it."

"He is certainly in the mix and fighting for it," Nielsen added.

E.A. © CAPSIS International
Source: GMM