Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali has told the team that there is a long season ahead in which it can turn around its pre-season performance.

11881 - A long season ahead to recover - Domenicali

Ferrari has struggled during the winter tests with technical director Pat Fry admitting that a podium was not a realistic target for the team at the first race of the season in Australia next weekend. After returning to Maranello Domenicali addressed team members and reminded them that while it had been a disappointing pre-season there was time to recover.

"It's obvious that we can't be happy with how the test went considering our goals, but let's not forget that the Championship still has to start," Domenicali said. "This is just the starting point and we have a very long season ahead of us. We know that there are some areas where we have to work a lot, regarding reliability and performance, but I'm expecting some great responses from you all and the wish to show who we are."

Fernando Alonso thanked the team for its hard work during testing despite the difficulties it had encountered.

"Above all I want to thank you all for the work you've done," Alonso said. "These were some very intense months and weeks and I know that you're giving it your all, that you're working 24/7 on the track and here at the Works to provide me and Felipe with a strong car. The new single-seater has some characteristics which are difficult to understand and maybe we're not where we want to be yet."