Felipe Massa stole the Ferrari limelight in Malaysia when he led home Ferrari team mate Michael Schumacher in fifth and sixth places, despite having started some seven positions behind him.

Racing on different strategies in a bid to maximise their chances following the engine changes that left Schumacher 14th and Massa 21st on the grid, it was the Brazilian’s one-stop plan that emerged victorious, sneaking ahead as the German exited from his second pit stop.

Although their results came at the expense of the engine failing Williams and the BMW of Nick Heidfeld, Ferrari comes away from Malaysia with seven valuable points, something which Jean Todt is content with, when their grid positions are taken into consideration.

Read the drivers’ opinions on the race after the jump..

“Considering all the problems that we’ve had over the weekend, today our objective was to bring home some points and that’s what we achieved. The team and the drivers worked well as did the Bridgestone tyres.”

“Today it was very difficult for us because Michael, on a two-stop strategy was starting from 14th place on the grid and Felipe 21st, was on a one-stop strategy. The seven points that we’ve picked up are very important in as far as future prospects are concerned in that we’re only at the start of the season.”

Massa was delighted to achieve such a good result following a disastrous week in which his Ferrari engine was changed twice. “I’m very pleased with this result and I would like to thank the team for an excellent job.”

“To start from the last row and end up 5th is a good result. Our strategy worked well and I was able to make a good start. During the race I was able to push a bit more at the right moment knowing that during the other phases I would have needed to play more of a waiting game. It was a difficult race but finishing fifth gives me that extra bit of motivation for the next races where I hope to be able and compete with the front runners.”

Todt was also impressed with Massa’s drive from the back. “I’m very pleased for Felipe because he deservedly got his first championship points as a Ferrari driver.”

Schumacher meanwhile conceded that the race had panned out how he thought it would, but admitted that more than sixth would have been better.

“We can accept this result, considering everything that has happened over the weekend,” Schumacher said. “I don’t think that we could have achieved much more. On my second stint I wasn’t as quick as I was on my first and third one, so now we need to understand the reasons why.”

“All things said and done, the race went basically as I had expected even if one always hopes for something more. During my first pit stop I had to wait a fraction of a second before going out because another car was coming down the pit lane.”