McLaren downplay Ferrari's form upturn

Ferrari have been quickest in the last two races and Raikkonen's back-to-back wins in France and Britain have reignited the championship battle between the Maranello outfit and McLaren.

But Whitmarsh believes that it was the characteristics of Magny-Cours and Silverstone that played into their rival's hands, and that improvement his team have planned for the next race will ensure a continued close fight for wins.

When asked whether he believed the tide had turned for Ferrari, he said: "I don't think so. We have got to lift our game. We have a test starting on Tuesday and we have got a range of upgrades on the car.

"Ferrari won't stand still either, but at the moment the circuits will vary the competitive performances of each of the teams, and we will see if swing backwards and forwards. That is how I choose to see it at the moment.

"We have got to make sure we continue fighting for this championship. We have got a good lead in both of those championships and we have got two fantastic drivers who really were not giving up. They did a fantastic job over the course of the Silverstone weekend with what we were able to give them.

"But winning world championships requires us as a team to provide a car. If the drivers can perform as they did this weekend then that is all we can ask of them. They did a fantastic job."

Whitmarsh does not believe that there is much performance differential between McLaren and Ferrari, and thinks that the fight for the championship is going to last all year.

"It is a few tenths either way and there is a clear and obvious sense at the moment that we are going to have a competition that is going to go through to the end of the season. That is great for F1.

"We never thought it was going to be easy. We weren't predicting after Monaco, Canada or Indy that this was now going to be an easy stroll to the championship.

"Ferrari are a strong team and so are we. Obviously I believe we are going to improve the car. We are in a great points position, despite what has happened here and last weekend. We have to make sure we build upon that and fight on this championship."