Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali said on Wednesday that his team must win at least one of the remaining three races before the summer break if they are to maintain a challenge for the world titles.
Ferrari are currently third in the constructors championship, 53 points behind Red Bull and another 30 behind leaders McLaren. Their leading driver Fernando Alonso lies fifth in the championship with Felipe Massa down in eighth.
"For sure a win would be very important," said Domenicali. "It would be crucial for the championships, for motivation, and I think that is really the key before the summer break - to have the kind of result that I think our team deserves."
Alonso, the world champion in 2005 and 2006, began the season with victory in Bahrain - Massa coming through to make it a one-two - but the Spaniard, in spite of podium finishes in his home Grand Prix in Barcelona and in Canada - has failed to impose himself since then.
At the European Grand Prix in Valencia he slipped from fourth on the grid to finish eighth. Domenicali is hoping for something better at the British Grand Prix here this weekend.
"We know that unfortunately in the last two races we didn't get the results that we wanted. The performance was there, but the result was not there," said Domenicali.
"Even if we know that traditionally Silverstone is not a track where we perform very well, we're really looking forward to going there and seeing what the outcome will be."
After Silverstone comes the German Grand Prix on July 25 and the Hungarian Grand Prix on August 1 before a longer than usual three week break ahead of the next race in Belgium.
Copyright 2010 AFP Global Edition
