Ferrari target three one-two finishes

A pitstop blunder resulted in Felipe Massa leaving the pits with his refuelling rig still attached to his car, effectively wrecking his evening, while Kimi Raikkonen crashed out near the end of the race.

Ferrari's troubles mean Hamilton now has a seven-point advantage in the drivers' standings over Massa, which means he can finish second to the Brazilian in the final three races and still win the title.

But Ferrari are not downbeat about the situation and instead are now only focused on scoring the one-two finishes that will secure Massa the crown.

Team principal Stefano Domenicali said: "We have three races to go, and we will approach the last three races with the fact we can do first and second every time. We have the potential to do it, so the target is very clear.

"It is not easy, but don't forget that we have faced a very difficult situation over the last couple of years, and we were sometimes able to win, sometimes unfortunately to lose, but the motivation is still the same.

"The team are very strong, but unfortunately you have the moments like today. But two hours after the race, we were already motivated and looking forward to doing to Japan to attack again."

With Raikkonen writing off his own championship chances after his Singapore crash, Domenicali said he was sure the Finn would do everything he could to help Massa win the title.

"I'm pretty sure he knows what he has to do," said Domenicali. "He will fight because he's part of the team, so I don't have any doubt about that."