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Felipe Massa fears that Formula 1's new 2014 regulations could make for far less interesting races if outright performance is superseded by efficiency.

The Brazilian's comments come after Ferrari's director of engineering warned that fuel saving could determine the outcome of grands prix next season.

And while Massa insists it is too early to panic, he admits the potential loss of downforce and grip - allied to greater fuel saving - could spoil the spectacle next year.

"I think the cars will have a lot less downforce than what we have now, [and] with tyres that maybe will be even harder," Massa said.

"So the grip level will be very low, so I think everything will be different - the way you drive, the way you race, the way you manage the car, the fuel and everything.

"It can be definitely very frustrating to do the race saving fuel from the beginning, but it's not just at the beginning - it will be [the whole] championship.

"It is difficult to complain about something we don't know how it's going to be, so let's wait and see.

"But if it's really like that, it won't be very interesting, it won't be very nice talking about the driver."

Massa said the changes could also make the sport harder to follow for casual fans, adding: "So many things in Formula 1 are difficult to understand.

"There are so many people who just turn on the television to watch the race sometimes, you have so many things you don't understand.

"So I hope it will be interesting for the people to watch, and I hope it can be a little bit interesting for the drivers.

"We'll see how it's going to be and we'll complain at the right time - not before."