Sebastian Vettel is confident in his chances of bringing the world title back to the House of Maranello.
Asked by Sport Bild magazine if he felt he had a shot at the crown, the German offered a standard answer, but one in which he believes in.
"Yes! If not, I wouldn't go to the grid."
Following an upbeat performance in pre-season testing which concluded last week in Barcelona, and which saw it top the timesheets, Ferrari appears to be in a position to give Mercedes a run for its money.
"All I can say is that the spirit in the team is good, everyone is working for everyone else's benefit," said Vettel.
But the four-time world champion remains guarded when asked to comment Ferrari's pre-season form, or Formula 1's pecking order in Melbourne.
"It's impossible to predict anything. Even the tests in Barcelona only give a basic idea where you stand. And we'll only have real clarity after three or four races.
"In Formula 1, only results count," said Vettel.
GALLERY: F1 drivers' wives and girlfriends
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Helmut Marko believes that Red Bull and Max Verstappen are unlikely to challenge for victory…
Automotive giant General Motors is reportedly back in the game as a potential entrant in…
The opening day of running at the Las Vegas GP was a smooth but chilly…
Williams is continuing to fight uphill battles this weekend in Las Vegas as a knock-on…
It was a solid start to the Las Vegas weekend for Ferrari with Carlos Sainz…
Lando Norris didn’t hold back in his assessment of McLaren’s performance on the opening day…