Di Montezemolo lauds team's recovery

After the British Grand Prix, Alonso was 47 points behind in the drivers' contest and Ferrari's title hopes looked slim. But three wins and a second place for the Spaniard in the five races since then have seen him vault back up to second in the standings, now just 11 points adrift of leader Mark Webber.

Addressing the team in the Ferrari factory in the wake of its second straight win in Singapore last weekend, di Montezemolo said the crew should be extremely proud.

"These wins are down to the work of the team and have not just dropped out of the sky through luck," he said.

"Everyone, from the people on the pit wall, to the pit stop crew, those in the garage, the people here in the factory and the drivers out on track, have all made a positive contribution.

"I am proud to be your president and I am pleased for Stefano Domenicali and all his people who never gave up when things seemed very difficult.

"This is the team I want: made up of people who go about their work quietly, who do not get downhearted when facing difficulties and who keep their feet firmly on the ground when things go well again."

But team boss Domenicali urged the team not to get carried away with recent results and to remember that the title fight was only going to get harder in the remaining rounds.

"We are on the right road, but the difficult part is still ahead of us," he said. "Having been confronted with making up as big a gap as the one we faced just over two months ago, the effort becomes even more arduous as one gets closer to our goal and when every point seems as heavy as a rock.

"Striving for total reliability, improving performance, sticking to our working practices, concentrating at all times and, above all, keeping calm: that is the recipe we must stick to in the coming decisive weeks."