BMW is fastest car so far - Massa

Robert Kubica partners Nick Heidfeld for BMW Sauber this season

Ferrari driver Felipe Massa says BMW Sauber are ahead of his team in the race to be ready for the new F1 season.

"The McLaren looks quick, but for me the BMW is the best of all at the moment," the Brazilian told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.

"The McLaren is the quickest over a single lap, but BMW are impressively consistent even if maybe they are not yet the most reliable.

"For now, I put them ahead of Ferrari and McLaren," said the ex-Sauber star.

BMW were fifth overall last season, their first since splitting from Williams and buying the Swiss-based Sauber team.

Drivers Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica, and tester Timo Glock, have impressed in earlier tests in Valencia and this week in Jerez.

Massa said: "BMW were impressive in Valencia and in Jerez as well they did very, very interesting tests.

"I say that not just looking at this final day (of testing), but at their consistency when they did long-distance simulations."

Massa won two races in 2006 as team-mate to the now-retired Michael Schumacher. He lines up this season alongside Kimi Raikkonen.

The 25-year-old said the new Ferrari was easier to set up than last year's and was already showing itself to be a balanced and stable machine.

"We are where we expected to be," he claimed.

"The car is proving to be quick and reliable. We have had a few problems but we know how to fix them."

The new season starts in Australia on 18 March.