Ferrari goes into this weekend's French Grand Prix needing a victory over McLaren to keep its championship hopes alive.

After seeing Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso dominate in the last three races, the Italian team trails McLaren by 35 points in the constructors' standings and the drivers' standings also show a similar divide.

Ferrari Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo voiced full confidence in drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa on Thursday as the team tried to put recent disappointments behind it.

Montezemolo admitted there had been some "distraction" in the team lately, noting that the cars had been two tenths of a second slower than the McLarens in Canada and the US.

But he made it clear Raikkonen and Massa were not to blame.

Montezemolo went on to describe Massa as "extraordinary" and to say Ferrari was "very satisfied" with him.

Ferrari Thursday concluded three days of tests at the British Silverstone track at which technicians tried out modifications they hope will allow Raikkonen and Massa to close the gap with Mclaren.

"We've lost ground on our direct rivals but it's not over yet. In this sport the situation can change from one moment to the next, " said Raikkonen after his round of tests.

Source: Xinhua