A few months ago, you would not have had many takers for the proposition that, by the Monaco Grand Prix, Felipe Massa would be the leading Ferrari driver and Lewis Hamilton would be stealing the show at McLaren Mercedes and leading the World Championship.

Yet, as Formula One prepares for qualifying today at its most glamorous venue in one of the most open seasons in recent history, that is the scenario and the established pecking order is looking shaky.

It is not too farfetched to imagine Massa, who has secured pole position five times in the past six races, going on to win Brazil’s first drivers’ championship since Ayrton Senna did so in 1991, and nor is it a wild fantasy to imagine Hamilton running him close.

There is a neat symmetry about what is happening at the top teams. In both cases the superstar, the one with the greater experience but the one who has moved in the closed season, is the one struggling. At McLaren, they are waiting for Fernando Alonso to hit his straps and the same is true of Kimi Räikkönen at Ferrari.

Of the two multimillionaires, Räikkönen looks to be under the greater pressure. In Massa he faces the most improved driver on the grid, a man who has learnt how to win, who is exceptionally quick in qualifying and who has hardened and matured his mental approach with the help of Michael Schumacher, his mentor and former teammate.

By contrast, Räikkönen has followed an unchallenged opening victory from pole position in Australia with three unconvincing performances as he struggles with a new car, new tyres and a new team. Ferrari thought they had hired one of the fastest men to grace Formula One to replace Schumacher, but they are still waiting to see that talent.

The rumours of discontent have spread quickly; Alonso is said to be squirming under pressure from Hamilton, who has looked quicker than the Spaniard in practice on the streets of Monte Carlo, while Räikkönen appears isolated at Ferrari from the power axis of Schumacher, Massa and Jean Todt, the team principal.

It was hardly surprising then that Todt should go out of his way yesterday to dispel the impression that Massa is the de facto team leader, emphasising that Räikkönen is at home at Maranello.

“I don’t see the problems with Kimi settling in the team because he is completely settled – he’s very happy and everybody loves him,” the 61-year-old Frenchman said. “For me, they [Massa and Räikkönen] are at the same level. I must say I know Felipe better because he has been in the team longer, but I like Kimi very much. It may seem strange to you, but for me he is a charming guy, a bit shy and introverted, not a big communicator and very dedicated and talented.” Yet his comments about the way Massa came back from a poor race in Malaysia underlined how quickly the Brazilian is growing into a great driver. Massa started from pole in Malaysia, but made a hash of it and finished fifth.

“He was 25, so you can imagine how strong you have to be in your head to face the next race [in Bahrain], where he got pole, the fastest lap in the race and won. And he did the same at the next race [in Barcelona],” Todt said.

Todt, who emphasised that Schumacher is not Massa’s psychological coach, spoke of the “mutual respect” between them – the “master” and the “talented guy”. “Yesterday I saw them coming out from the team briefing, they were talking and you can really see there is big respect and harmony between them,” Todt said. “Probably that is helping Felipe psychologically to know that a guy like Michael is a reference point for him in this business.”