Dennis Confident of 'Outfoxing' Ferrari in Malaysia

McLaren boss Ron Dennis says his team can outperform World Champions Ferrari at next weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix, the second round of the 2003 season.

"Malaysia will be significantly different to Australia," Dennis told the Daily Telegraph newspaper in an interview. "It is a downforce circuit and I would anticipate being very strong there.

"We have done a lot of work on our car and hopefully we will be snapping at their [Ferrari's] heels and maybe outfoxing them a bit."

McLaren's David Coulthard became the first man other than Ferrari's Michael Schumacher to take the Championship lead in over two years after scoring a surprising victory at the season opening Australian Grand Prix.

McLaren also moved to first place in the Constructors' Championship following a third place finish by Finn Kimi Raikkonen.

Five-time champion Schumacher, who last season won 11 out of 17 races, failed to finish on the podium for the first time since the 2001 Italian Grand Prix, having to settle for fourth place following a wrong tyre choice at the start of the race and a driving error late in the race.

Dennis says Ferrari's mistakes were not the only reason for Australia's success, but also down to the fact that McLaren have raised their game this year.

"We've made a big step forward," he said. "The difference between this year and last is black and white."

The Woking-based team, like their Ferrari rivals, are racing with an updated version of last year's car while the new machine is developed before its introduction later in the season.