Massa: Williams closing on Mercedes

Williams driver Felipe Massa said he feels his showing at Silverstone is evidence they are closing the gap on Mercedes.

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg completed the sixth Mercedes one-two in nine races this season in the British Grand Prix, but Brazilian Massa did lead the race early before settling for fourth.

Neither Hamilton nor Rosberg have finished outside the podium in any one race in 2015 to put the pair well clear in the championship race on 194 and 177 points respectively - with Sebastian Vettel (135) the closest threat.

But Massa - sixth in the drivers' standings on 74 points - said the gap is closing on the runaway constructors' championship leaders.

"We couldn't manage to win at the end, not just for the first moment we lost the first and I went to second but also for the rain; we were struggling a lot in the rain and it's definitely part of our working to improve the car in the rain," Massa said of his Silverstone performance on July 5.

"But I think we need to take also the positive things that the car was competitive, maybe we were very close to Mercedes.

"Even if they were a little bit quicker, we were not far. I think we were very close in that race.

"I think this positive aspect needs to stay in our brain and we need to try to understand how we can do that again but also stay in the front and finish and try to win the race.

"We will keep pushing."

Following the death of Jules Bianchi on Friday, safety is a talking point in F1 circles.

Massa said he felt little will change in the minds of the competitors, despite the 34-year-old preparing to face his own demons at the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend.

In the 2009 race at the Hungaroring, Massa fractured his skull.

"I don't think it changes," he said.

"When you close your visor, you want the best, you want to finish in front, and you want to do the best you can and manoeuvre overtaking, the way you drive, your thinking, I don't think it will change.

"When I had my accident here, when I start driving again here in Hungary, always when I pass that place I don't remember that I had the accident there. So, you don't think about it, it stays in the past.

"Maybe when you go out of the car you remember about Jules or about other things which is… now I remember about my accident but when I'm driving, I don't know.

"So I don't even think I have a mother, father, my son, my wife or whatever, you don't think about it. You just think about your job, your work.

"I don't think that will change. But now, I have Jules all the time on my mind."