Felipe Massa has earmarked qualifying for this weekend's inaugural Singapore grand prix as a crucial element to his championship challenge.

The Ferrari driver, who trails McLaren's Lewis Hamilton by a single point with four races to go, thinks overtaking will be even more difficult on the twisty floodlit city circuit than it was at Valencia last month.

Valencia's European grand prix, staged on a faster urban circuit than Singapore, was slammed as a processional race that lacked overtaking moves.

"Saturday will be very important, for sure," Massa, 27, told the local Straits Times newspaper on Wednesday, highlighting the importance of a good grid position.

"I've never driven on the Singapore track but it'll be even more difficult to overtake compared to Valencia, because the straights are even shorter," the Brazilian added.

F1 veteran David Coulthard backs Massa's views about the Singapore layout.

"It appears to be less flowing than Valencia and more of a classic street track, with lots of 90-degree block changes, albeit a relatively wide one in most parts," the Red Bull driver said.

Source: GMM