The Formula One season kicks off this weekend with the Bahrain Grand Prix and Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso are geared up and ready to go. Massa is particularly glad to get back to the track because it marks his return to competitive racing after his life-threatening accident last July. Speaking at the season's first official press conference, the Brazilian said "it's great to be back after eight months, to finally race again. Driving has been my job for so many years so I am really happy to be back." Massa suffered multiple skull fractures when a flying suspension spring ricochetted off his helmet while he was driving at some 200kph during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 25. The Brazilian, who turns 29 next month, said he was determined to have a better start to the season than he has in the past because he knew by experience that points at the beginning of the season paid off at the end of the year. Massa lost the 2008 title in the last race of the season by just one point.

According to the veteran Ferrari driver, who joined the Scuderia in 2006, the car's reliability will be key this year because of the rule changes, which include no refueling during the race and a new points system which gives the winner more points. Massa appeared optimistic about the rule changes and observed "since we have not yet raced with the new rules I can't say if I prefer this system or last year's. But it is good to have a new challenge". As for the new points system - which gives 25 points to the winner, 18 to the runner-up and 15 to who places third - the Brazilian said "I think it's a good thing because winning is the most important thing in any sport and so the winner should be rewarded more". Alonso, a two-time world champion who joined Ferrari this year from Renault, said he was confident he could do well with his new team and was eager to get back to racing after a winter of tests.

"When you change team you need to adapt to the people in it and their work philosophy and pre-season was great for that. I felt very comfortable at Ferrari right from day one to now and I think we're ready for the fight," the Spaniard said at the press conference. "My goal is to win the championship but I know it will be a very hard job. But I've been preparing all winter for this and I've waited a long time to come to Ferrari, so I'm ready to go," the 28-year-old driver added. Alonso, too, was looking forward to racing under the new rules and said "I'm happy with them. They represent a new challenge for all of us - engineers, teams and drivers. Any change is welcome because it offers us the possibility of discovering new sides to our sport. Only time will tell if they produce more spectacular or boring races".

The Spaniard also said he was looking forward to racing again against seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, who won five titles with Ferrari. The 41-year-old German driver came out of a three-year retirement to drive this year for Mercedes, the former 2009 world champion BrawnGP team. "It is good for all of us in the sport that he is back. What Michael has done in Formula 1 will be hard to match, with all his titles, wins and pole positions. Winning a race or the title with Michael on the track will give it that extra something," Alonso said. It was Alonso who in 2005 broke Schumacher's streak of five titles in a row by winning the first of his two consecutive championships.