Felipe Massa is determined to prove Ferrari team-mate Fernando Alonso's words of support this week have no hollow ring to them.
Following on from Massa's best result of the year in Monaco 12 days ago when he finished sixth, Alonso suggested the Brazilian had it within him to "make podiums or fight for wins".
It is now 27 races, however, since Massa last finished in the top three, a miserable run stretching back to the 2010 Korean Grand Prix, and unacceptable for a driver racing for Ferrari.
It is one of the reasons why Massa is unlikely to be retained by the team for next season, unless there is a sudden shift in form and fortune that regularly propels him on to the podium.
Ahead of this weekend's race in Montreal, Massa said: "Monaco was a better race, a clean race where nothing went wrong, with good pace from the first session.
"It was a positive weekend, even if we cannot be too happy in finishing sixth, but it was a good start.
"Hopefully we can use that to do things even better here and with all the races until the end of the year.
"As you know improving helps the way you drive, especially for my driving style.
"So I'm really looking forward to carrying on like that, improving, getting stronger race by race, fighting for many good points and even looking for victory and podiums.
"This is the target, the direction as I feel much stronger in the car now compared to the beginning of the season."
For now Massa is refusing to give up on the prospect of extending his stay with Ferrari into a seventh year, and is not looking at anything beyond that.
Certainly the 31-year-old was forced to clarify a recent remark in which he apparently said if he couldn't drive for Ferrari he would prefer to do something else.
Massa said: "I didn't say 'If I'm not at Ferrari any more, I will stop'. I didn't say that.
"I said 'If I need to go to a small team, maybe I will think about doing something else'.
"I'm here, I always want to race, to fight for victory and that's what I've done for many years, and I'm looking forward to getting back to fighting for victories and the championship.
"I trust myself. Although the season didn't start as I expected, things are improving.
"So it's important to carry on this way, and if we do it will be much easier to find a good direction for the future, to stay at Ferrari or find a good direction in which to race."
