Poleman Sebastian Vettel says Ferrari will require nothing short of a "perfect race" to trounce the mighty Mercedes squad in Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix.
Vettel topped the Saturday afternoon shootout in Montreal for the first time since Hockenheim last year, with a mad dash effort in the final minute of qualifying that edged arch-rival Lewis Hamilton by 0.206s.
While that result was acquired on merit by the Scuderia and Vettel, the German knows that flawless execution - which has been in short supply at Maranello this year - will be needed for Ferrari to bring it home in Canada.
"Obviously there was a reason why we were able to put the car on pole," Vettel said.
"It will be a close battle, we know our strengths and we know our weaknesses. It’s a long race.
"We’re very quick down the straights, not so easy to pass but we will see. In terms of pace, we know it will be close, and we need a perfect race to fight for the win."
Asked after qualifying if his performance was a sure sign of a turnaround for Ferrari after its disappointing first six races, Vettel would not commit to such a conclusion.
"I don’t know, maybe. If you come to Abu Dhabi and ask if this was the turning point, hope I can give you a yes," he said.
“"t’s a long season, lots of different tracks, different challenges, we know we need to catch up.
"We had more top speed in all tracks so far. This is a track where top speed is more relevant, not too many corners. We’ll see.
"The whole of Maranello is throwing everything at it to try and give us a better car and make it better races to come."
Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Oscar Piastri has been handed a three place grid penalty for tomorrow's Emilia Romagna Grand…
Lando Norris believes McLaren still needs to shift its mindset from being a top midfield…
Mercedes had been sending out positive messages on Friday after a strong performance by George…
Charles Leclerc defended Ferrari's performance in today's qualifying session for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix…
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri is brimming with confidence ahead of Sunday’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix after…
Max Verstappen had looked to be in trouble after Friday's practice session left him well…