Ferrari should consider playing his so-called engine "joker" after quickly remedying the car's reliability problems, Valencia winner Felipe Massa said on Sunday.

After the Brazilian's V8 unit failed within three laps of the chequered flag in Budapest three weeks ago, his teammate Kimi Raikkonen had a similarly smoky exit to the European grand prix.

The rules in 2008 allow each driver to make one unscheduled engine change without incurring the ordinary penalty.

Playing his "joker" ahead of the forthcoming Belgian grand prix at Spa-Francorchamps would allow Massa, who began a new two-race schedule with a fresh 2.4 litre engine at Valencia, to benefit from any remedies to the problem put in place within the next two weeks.

"We need to work very hard and see if it is important to use or not to use the joker if we really have a problem," the 27-year-old told reporters.

Raikkonen's failure, while on course for sixth place on Sunday, drops him 7 points behind Massa in the drivers' championship. His deficit to title leader Lewis Hamilton is 13 points.

"It was definitely not the weekend I was hoping for but I do not believe that I am now out of the running for the title, even if I realise things are now more complicated," the Finn insisted.

Source: GMM