While few would agree with Sergio Marchionne's claim that the championship is still open, Ferrari can at least take heart from the fact that though 81 points down on Mercedes, after the same amount of races in 2015 the gap was 136 points.

Speaking at the FIA's Sport Conference Week in Turin, Sebastian Vettel, insisted that it's not over yet.

"We still have a long way to go," he admitted. "When I first joined the team there were a lot of things changing.

"It takes time," he continued, "but we don't allow ourselves to take that time. We have very, very ambitious targets and, obviously, great competition but ultimately we want to prove the point that we are the best.

"We want to win," he concluded, "so naturally after a great season last year, where we finished second in the Constructors' Championship, we want a step up this year.

"Currently we're still lacking a little bit of speed here and there but it's getting better. The car has great potential, the people are coming along so the whole project starts to roll, starts to move in the right direction. I am confident we have a bright future."

Indeed, Marchionne is also confident that there is much potential to be unlocked in the SF16-H.

"This is a work in progress," he said at the weekend, "I think the engine, the power unit, is there, if we can get the rest of it right this machine is going to be a hell of a thing to beat. So I'm hopeful.