No Panic at Ferrari, Says Todt

Ferrari principal Jean Todt has shrugged off his team's slow start to the Formula One season and denied the Italian outfit are losing ground to their rivals.

"We couldn't expect to repeat our incredible 2002 season," Todt told Tuesday's La Gazzetta dello Sport. "But we've still managed to take 16 points from the first two races, and those will be useful later in the year."

The Italian team finished off the podium for the first time in 54 races at the season's opener in Australia two weeks ago, which was won by McLaren's David Coulthard.

Their challenge at Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix again misfired as World Champion Michael Schumacher crashed on the opening lap before finishing sixth. Teammate Rubens Barrichello was second behind Kimi Raikkonen who recorded McLaren's second win of the season.

Todt denied, however, that Ferrari had been left behind by the British team.

"Clearly they (McLaren) have worked well over the winter break, but I don't believe their success is due to the rule changes," he said. "In Australia we lost the chance to win with Schumacher because of our tyre choice, while his crash in Malaysia meant having to come back into the pits and then pay the penalty."

The mood in the Ferrari camp was far from one of panic, he insisted.

"I used to get worried even when we dominated Formula One, and I don't believe there's any reason to feel too alarmed now," Todt said. "In the next few days we'll work hard to be at our best for (the next Grand Prix in) Brazil".