Ferrari has had a good Formula 1 season so far but it must remain focused and keep its feet on the ground if it wants to repeat its success of last year, according to team principal Stefano Domenicali.
The Ferrari boss made his remarks ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix which marks the halfway point of a season the Italian team has dominated by winning five out of eight races so far.
''If we look at the numbers we can only be pleased with our performance so far. However, we have also made mistakes, on every level, and our positions in the standings could have been better,'' Domenicali observed.
Ferrari last year won both the constructors' and drivers' championships and is currently on top in both categories.
However, world champion Kimi Raikkonen finds himself in third place after leading for much of the season.
He is now five points behind teammate Felipe Massa while BMW's Robert Kubica sits between the two Ferrari drivers, two points behind the leader.
Aside from its five wins, Ferrari this season has clinched five pole positions and clocked the fastest times in five races.
Nevertheless, Domenicali said that ''even during weekends when we seemed far ahead of the others we risked missing our marks due to some problem or other. We've been good but we've also been lucky and this is why we must always keep out feet firmly on the ground''.
This year's car has proved to be competitive on all types of track, the Ferrari chief admitted, ''and compared to last year this is a major improvement. This has been possible because we made improvements not only in designing the car, but also by taking a new approach for each different race in regard to set-up''.
''Unfortunately, despite all our efforts we have not won all the races we could have, be it for our own mistakes and for other circumstances,'' he added.
Turning his attention to Ferrari's chief rivals for the title, McLaren-Mercedes and BMW, Domenicali said that ''while McLaren may have something more in regard to performance, BMW has been very reliable and constant and this has made it a formidable opponent''.
Having two drivers among the top four in the standings is not a problem for Ferrari, Domenicali said, because ''when the whole team works together in harmony, having two drivers in a position to win the title is a resource and certainly not a handicap''.
Silverstone has a special place in Formula 1 history, the Ferrari chief observed, ''and it is always a pleasure to compete in one of the temples of racing. It is also a very special place for us because it was there that, on July 14, 1951, Jose' Froilan Gonzalez gave Ferrari the first of its 206 Grand Prix victories''.
Domenicali made his remarks in an interview posted on the Ferrari media website.
