Although Ferrari is clearly struggling, particularly when ot comes to tyres, it would be foolish to get carried away and begin predicting - as some sections of the media are doing - the beginning of the end for the Maranello outfit and its star driver, Michael Schumacher.

True, the Italian team currently has just 10 points, compared to Renault's 26, Toyota's 12 and Red Bull's 11. While Michael is eleventh in the drivers' championship, sandwiched between Webber and Klien.

However, let's not forget that this is a long, long championship, with a further 17 races still to come.

One could argue that in 2003 Ferrari made an even more wobbly start to the season, while McLaren took three straight wins - even though one of these was 'taken away' and handed to Jordan's Giancarlo Fisichella.

After <b>three</b> races, Ferrari (16 points) trailed McLaren (39) and Renault (23), while WilliamsF1 was also on 16 points.

Then came a remarkable fight back at Imola, with Schumacher and Barrichello taking first and third in the 2002 cars, followed by two successive wins for the German in Spain and Austria with the new F2003-GA.

There's a long, long way to go and Ferrari has proved in recent years that it has the bulldog spirit, and that the prancing horse is never more dangerous than when people are predicting that it is time to have the old nag destroyed.