A spokesman for Ferrari has ruled out any lingering doubt that Felipe Massa's terminal Sepang spin was caused by a technical problem.

Amid rumours that his seat for 2009 may not be safe, Ferrari officials said they would check whether any aspect of the car could be blamed for what appeared to be the Brazilian's second major driving error in a one week period, leaving his points tally so far at zero.

Asked by the German magazine Sport Bild if a defect had caused Massa to spin into the gravel at Sepang, the spokesman is quoted as saying: "No. The car was okay."

Team boss Stefano Domenicali, however, is confident that the 26-year-old can put his flagging reputation back on track in Bahrain next weekend.

"We must not over-dramatise.

I'm convinced that from Felipe's and our point of view, a response won't go amiss in Bahrain," he said. "Felipe has all the qualities and the capabilities to do well."

Massa's former boss Peter Sauber, though, was not surprised when he observed the driver's error from the BMW-Sauber garage in Malaysia.

"If things are not running well for him, Felipe loses concentration quickly," the Swiss said.

F1 : Massa spin not caused by Ferrari defect - MASSA - F1-Live.com