Ferrari's Felipe Massa believes Jenson Button will throw away his chance of becoming world champion unless he can prove he has got the bottle to handle the pressure of keeping his fast approaching rivals at bay.

Massa, recovering from his horrific accident in the Hungarian Grand Prix, believes the only explanation for Button's recent demise following his sensational start to the season is the stress of defending his lead in the title race and believes his fellow Brazilian, Rubens Barrichello, has a chance to steal the crown.

He said: “Look at me, last season I came to Brazil six points behind Lewis Hamilton and I almost won the championship. That was one race. Rubens has five races to close 16 points. It's a big possibility.

“If Jenson carries on in this bad way it will help Rubens a lot. In my opinion, Jenson has gone down because of the pressure. At the start of the season everything was nice, everything was easy. He was in a new team winnning six out of the first seven races.

“That's different from fighting hard for the championship. Now he has a different kind of pressure. Now we have races where things are more difficult. So, for me, the pressure has had a big impact on his mind and he needs to deal with it better. If he does not cope with the pressure he will not win the championship.”

Speaking in the the Guardian, Massa also discusses his accident and how he has talked to his wife about the dangers of the sport following the death of British driver Henry Surtees, 18, who was hit by a loose wheel which came off a car at Brands Hatch six days before his own crash.

He said: “I was very touched by his death and I told my wife straightaway about the accident of Henry. When I first told her about Henry she was a bit scared. I said Listen, this is like if you have an accident on the road — if someone hits you when you least expect it. There's nothing you can do.”

Massa sent a message of sympathy to the Surtees family and days later he said they sent a message to him after his accident when a spring came off Barrichello's Brawn car and smashed into his helmet at 170mph.

He said: “Every doctor said the same. If the spring had gone one millimetre to the right I would have lost my sight. One millimetre to the left and who knows? So I was very lucky.”

Massa revealed that his wife Rafaela has questioned whether he should climb back into a Formula One car but he is determined to make his comeback.
He said: “For me, the worst thing that happened was not being able to race. If I don't drive then I am not the same person. This is what I like to do. So I really hope, and expect, nothing will change inside of me when I go back into the car and start pushing myself to the maximum again.”

Massa is not the only one who believes Button, who has gone five races without a podium finish, has to raise his game, starting with the Italian Grand Prix this weekend.

The Brit had a nightmare in the last race in Belgium, going out on the first lap. It was his first retirement of the campaign, but according to team chief Ross Brawn there is no point moping about what might have been.

He said: “We'll cleanse our minds before we go to Monza. This is pressure Jenson has never had before, and he's got to get used to it.

“Monza is a track where our car will work well. It's good on both brakes and traction, which are important there, and we have the benefit of the Mercedes-Benz engine on this power-sensitive circuit.

“The aerodynamic efficiency of the car will be crucial, so we will have a specific package designed to minimise drag levels and achieve the high top speed required.”

Meanwhile, Brawn chiefs would not confirm a report this morning that Mercedes-Benz are negotiating to buy a stake in the team which evolved out of Honda when they withdrew from the sport.

Martin Whitmarsh, head of the McLaren racing team who are 40 per cent owned by Mercedes-Benz, has dismissed concerns that a long-term association with the German manufacturer might be under threat.