Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo has told Felipe Massa that he must be "special" in this year's world championship to retain his place with the Italian team next year.

The 30-year-old has been under pressure after a disappointing season in 2011, when he scored less than half the points of teammate Fernando Alonso and failed to finish a race higher than fifth.

"Massa has to do something great, and something special, after a non-positive season," Montezemolo said. "We are offering him the best conditions to do a great job."

Brazilian driver Massa has responded by saying that 2012 will be a "victory year".

"It is going to be an important year for me and whole team, 2012, this is going to be the victory year," he said. "We want to fight to get the championship back. I want to be believe in my skills and our car and this is the right thing to do."

The new F2012 car was unveiled yesterday with a simple, online launch after heavy snow in Maranello led to the main launch being cancelled.