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Ferrari 'will be in the fight' - Domenicali

Stefano Domenicali: "All we must do is stay focussed on the job of developing the car" © Sutton Images

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Stefano Domenicali is "convinced" that Ferrari will be "in the fight" for the world championship this season despite a disappointing testing campaign.

Ferrari launched a radical new car for the 2012 season in an attempt to make up the gap to Red Bull, but has struggled to understand the F2012 and has reverted to an exhaust layout with less performance potential. After technical director Pat Fry admitted at the final pre-season test that challenging for a podium appeared out of the question, Domenicali is in a much more positive mood heading to Australia.

"Everyone is eager to get going with a new challenge," Domenicali told the official Ferrari website. "It's going to be a very long season and, at least as far as see it, a very unpredictable one: there are many teams who look like being in the hunt, especially in the early stages.

"We arrive in Australia knowing we have not reached our goals in terms of performance for a variety of reasons, which we have discussed at length over the past few days. However, I wish to repeat what I said before, we still need to wait a few days before knowing where we stand in relation to the others.

"I'm convinced that we will be in the fight and we will be there right to the end. I said the same thing at the end of last season: if we happen to do well in the first race, we will not be making a show of ourselves, just as we must not feel downhearted if we are not competitive at the highest level. All we must do is stay focussed on the job of developing the car. The championship does not end until the end of November, which is something we should never forget."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.