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Team orders can be for the right reasons - Massa

Felipe Massa: "I've helped many drivers, even Kimi [Raikkonen] in the championship he won" © Sutton Images

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Felipe Massa believes team orders are necessary in Formula One at certain times but says they have to be for the right reasons.

Massa has been on the receiving end of several team orders during his Ferrari career, including in 2010 when he conceded his most recent chance at a victory to team-mate Fernando Alonso. With the paddock's focus currently on the team orders at Red Bull in Malaysia, Massa said occasionally there is a time and a place when the pit wall should get involved.

"I'm not against team orders if they are intelligent," he said. "If it's at the right moment, for the right reasons and how things need to be, for sure I've done that many times.

"I've helped many drivers, even Kimi [Raikkonen] in the championship he won. I helped Fernando [Alonso] at important races last year when he was racing for the championship and when it's at an intelligent time for the team order I have no problem. That's right.

"But for sure sometimes it's not so intelligent and for sure I don't like that."

At the first two races of the season and the last two of 2012 Massa has out-qualified Ferrari team-mate Fernando Alonso and he said his new found pace was mainly down to feeling happier with the car.

"I feel comfortable and if you feel comfortable with the car you are driving and you understand what the car is doing, you can be competitive all the time and you can use the car 100%," he said. "That's what was happening in the last two races and at the last races of last season as well. I was competitive in qualifying and the race and you need to keep working and understanding the car."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.