Ferrari vow to move on

After starting only fourth and fifth on the grid their driver Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen fell back at an alarming pace from eventual winner Lewis Hamilton and then ran into more problems after the safety car was deployed for the first of four times.

Australian Grand Prix winner Raikkonen, who was running behind Massa, was forced to wait while the Brazilian made his stop and fell to the tail of the field, forcing a comeback that netted him fifth.

The Finn struggled for the whole of the 70 laps with a lack of grip, a legacy of hitting his team-mate at the second corner of the race and then picking up damage from debris resulting from Robert Kubica's horrific race-ending crash on lap 27.

At least he kept going though to fifth - a result that leaves him 21 points off the championship lead - unlike his team-mate, who left the pits after his first pit-stop before the pit exit was opened, netting him an instant black flag.

"In a race that was confusing and chaotic thanks to the numerous safety cars periods, we come away with just four points for Kimi, whose car was damaged in a collision at the first corner after the start and then after Kubica's accident," said team chief Jean Todt.

"As for Felipe, he was disqualified for driving out of pit lane when the light was still red. Of course this is not a happy moment for us.

"Now we have to study everything about this weekend, to understand how to move on. It is not the first time we have been in a situation like this and we have always shown that we can extricate ourselves from these difficulties."

Ferrari's saving grace may come from looking at the 2006 formbook. After being soundly beaten by eventual champions Renault in Montreal last year, they achieved a resounding one-two at Indianapolis, which will hold the next race in six days time.

Jamie O'Leary