Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo is confident his team will produce a “strong response” in this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix after its dismal start to the season in Australia.

The Maranello squad was surprisingly uncompetitive in Melbourne, suffered more than most from tyre wear and ultimately retired both of its cars with mechanical problems.

Montezemolo believes a clearer picture of the 2009 pecking order will emerge at Sepang and expects Ferrari to be closer to the pace.

Speaking in Modena on Tuesday, he said: “I expect to see the true balance of power in Malaysia on a more conventional circuit than Melbourne.

“The first race went a lot worse than we and I had expected.

“We made a few too many mistakes.

“But I’m convinced, indeed I’m quite certain, that there will be a strong response from our side, even though the cars are the same.

“I trust the team and I know that they are working very hard. We’ll see the fruits already by next Sunday.”

Montezemolo said the epic season-long duel between Ferrari and McLaren for last year’s world championship had allowed rival teams to leapfrog them.

“There’s no doubt that we’re paying the price for the 2008 championship, which was fought until the last corner of the last lap of the last grand prix,” he said.

“Like McLaren, we had to develop our car right up to the end, while the others were able to begin work on completely new projects several months earlier.

“Let’s not forget that this year’s car isn’t an evolution. So those who had the extra time were able to gain a head start.”

Montezemolo also called on F1’s authorities to swiftly clear up the controversy over the rear diffuser regulations, which he said was damaging the sport’s credibility.

Ferrari is one of the teams protesting the ‘double decker’ diffusers used by Brawn GP, Williams and Toyota, which are thought to be worth up to 0.3s per lap.

“I want clarity over the regulations,” said Montezemolo.

“It’s not good to start a season with such important question marks.

“Either these diffusers are legal, in which case that must be stated and proved quickly – even though we and many other teams don’t think they are – and then we will adapt.

“Or else they are not legal, in which case also we must be told as soon as possible, because those who interpret the regulations and aren’t going by the rules create an inequality in performance that is unacceptable.”

Source - ITV