Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo has warned Felipe Massa that he must "do something great" to retain his seat at Ferrari beyond this season.

13099 - Massa warned by Montezemolo

Massa has been under pressure after a disappointing season in 2011 when he scored less than half the points of team-mate Fernando Alonso and never finished a race higher than fifth. Speaking during the launch of the new Ferrari F2012 Montezemolo said that the car was going to give Massa the best opportunity to prove himself.

"Massa has to do something great, and something special, after a non-positive season," Montezemolo said. "We are offering him the best conditions to do a great job."

With his contract running out at the end of the season Massa admits that it is a crucial year for him, but insists he is in a positive frame of mind to improve.

"It is going to be an important year for me and whole team, 2012, this is going to be the victory year," Massa said. "We want to fight to get the championship back. I want to be believe in my skills and our car and this is the right thing to do. We want to see Ferrari winning as often as possible; here I feel a strength, I'm focused on winning. There's plenty of positive things in my head and I want to start in the right way and get to the end of the championship in a better way."