• Ferrari news

Ferrari under no illusions - Domenicali

Stefano Domenicali is expecting strong challenges from Red Bull and McLaren in Hungary © Sutton Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• News:
• Montezemolo 'concerned' for Ferrari
  

• Drivers:
• Fernando Alonso
• |
• Stefano Domenicali

• Teams:
• Ferrari

Stefano Domenicali says that Ferrari is not "under any sort of illusion" despite the fact that Fernando Alonso has a clear lead in the drivers' championship.

Alonso is now 34 points clear of Mark Webber in the standings after he secured his third victory of the season at the German Grand Prix. None of the victories have been dominant, however, with Alonso winning in the wet of Malaysia before benefitting from Sebastian Vettel's misfortune in Valencia and edging out Vettel and Jenson Button in Germany.

Domenicali said that while he is pleased with where Ferrari is at present, the competition is too tough for the team to enjoy its lead.

"It's nice to see our fans are happy with that last result, but no one at Maranello is under any sort of illusion," Domenicali told the official Ferrari website. "The fact we are leading the Drivers' championship with Fernando does not lull us into thinking that everything is fine and we're cruising along with the wind in our sails; quite the contrary in fact.

"Red Bull has always been very strong in Budapest these past few years and McLaren showed in Germany that it was back in front running form, after a slight dip at its home race. Then there is also Mercedes, as well as Lotus and other teams, such as Williams and Sauber, who have shown they can, in some circumstances, also be in the fight for the podium. Clearly, the opposition is as numerous as it is strong."

With Luca di Montezemolo having addressed the team following the Hockenheim victory, Domenicali said Ferrari is still fully focused on improving the car.

"As usual, Montezemolo was very clear: feet on the ground and work, work, work. After Budapest, we come up to two very tough races in the shape of Spa and Monza, where we must show that we are competitive on fast tracks too. The performance of the F2012 has improved since the start of the season but until we have the quickest car on track, we cannot claim to be happy. There is still a long road ahead of us, with plenty of obstacles along the way. The first and currently the most dangerous one is to catch this sense of euphoria that comes from the outside. But I'm calm about this because I am immune to these things!"

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.