Ferrari sees no quick fix for car woes

The Maranello-based outfit has been baffled about why some development updates fitted to its car since the final pre-season test have not produced the increase in downforce that wind tunnel figures suggest they should.

Investigations will continue at Maranello this week to address the issue - and until the team has answers it makes it hard for it to design news parts for the car that can bring it the downforce that it requires to match Red Bull Racing and McLaren.

With the team's poor qualifying form highlighted again in China, team principal Stefano Domenicali is bracing himself for several weeks' works to try and get on top of the problems his outfit is facing.

When asked about the progress of the correlation between wind tunnel and on-track testing, Domenicali said: "That is the most important thing, for sure.

"If you look back, this is where we need to work hard. The performance of the car is still not there, even if the race is different from qualifying.

"I am a pragmatic guy, and I am expecting a big push from the guys back home, the engineers and the people. But I know it is not a short-term job.

"We need to react and I am sure the people at home want to show, I would say, to all of us what we want to do. I am not expecting a miracle in Turkey, because I think it will take longer.

"But it is the right approach in order to make sure that we can close the gap that is in qualifying not acceptable for sure."

Ferrari appeared to be in a strong position to fight for a podium finish in China, but Felipe Massa was unable to look after his tyres enough in the closing stages and faded to finish sixth.

Speaking about the result, Domenicali said: "Of course the disappointment of the result is there, we cannot say it different, but we need to analyse the race.

"I know there is a lot of dispute - whether it was right to be on a two-stop or a three-stop. If you look at the gaps that we have with the first six cars, they are so close so a little thing can change the end of the race.

"In the case of Fernando, he had the misfortune to attack a lot of laps Michael and that destroyed the tyres at that stage and he had to manage to the end.

"With Felipe his first two stints were really good, the same pace as all the cars in front, and he arrived within one second of Vettel. But in the last part of the hard tyres, they dropped away much more than we were expecting."