Ferrari: Near but not at the front

With the F1 teams heading to Bahrain in the next few days, Ferrari gather the troops to sound the battle cry at Maranello earlier this week.

Team boss Stefano Domenicali took the opportunity to thank all at Ferrari for their hard work in preparing for the new season but warned that while Ferrari are near the front they are not at the front.

"We have a difficult season behind us and we have a season with strong competitors ahead of us, with many unknown factors," he said.

"We've worked a lot during the winter and I want to thank you for what you have done: at the end of the last Championship we were really behind, now, after the tests in February, we can say that we picked up a lot.

"We're in the top group, but not yet amongst the best.

"This has to be a stimulus, because we need to develop race after race, this will be the 2010 Championship, but also the reliability will be important.

"The fact that we were the team with the most kilometres confirms how well we worked, but we can't stop paying attention.

"We have to know out potential and our strength, because we have people, resources and structures, which can keep up with everybody else. During the tests we've shown what we can do and now we have to continue to train."

Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso, who is gearing up for his first season with Scuderia, reiterated his thoughts that Ferrari's F10 is the "best car" he's ever driven. However, the double World Champ stopped short of promising a season of successive wins.

"I want to thank you all for what you have done for this new Formula 1 Ferrari. I already told it to the newspapers but I want to tell you personally: this is the best car I've ever driven," said the Spaniard.

"This doesn't mean that it will be enough to win every single race, but I'm happy about how the tests went and I think that we're at 100% for the first race in Bahrain.

"We are Ferrari and we know from our history that we have only one goal: winning the Championship. And I know that thanks to your work we can do it. We know that the first race is like the first stage at the Tour de France: what counts is winning.

"Felipe and I are extremely motivated and we'll give it our all to show that we merit the opportunity to drive a car like Ferrari."