Alonso hopes for triumph in Turkey

Ferrari star Fernando Alonso is optimistic that his team will show signs of improvement at this Sunday's Turkish Grand Prix, the fourth of the 2011 season. The Italian team has struggled so far this year, with Alonso- who narrowly missed out on winning the championship in 2010- having scored just 26 points, putting him in fifth place in the drivers' championship, 42 behind current leader, Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.

"We know we have to take a significant step forward in terms of performance if we want to get back to fighting for the top places, especially in qualifying," the Spanish double world champion told the press on Thursday. "We will not improve the car completely in one race. Step-by-step we are trying to close the gap."

Ferrari's 150º Italia car has been lagging behind its main competitors- Red Bull, McLaren and even Renault, who have put in a surprisingly strong showing this year- and is in dire need of the updates that are scheduled to be put into use for this, the first of the European races of the season.

But despite the poor showing so far, Alonso was not writing off his chances of winning this year's drivers' title. "Last season we lost points at the beginning and then we recovered in the last part and we were close to winning the championship," he said. "This year we are losing points and we are aware of the distance now with the leaders. Last year we started recovering after Silverstone and now we are at race four so there is plenty of time. But we are aware that we need a reaction as soon as possible."

The Ferrari team has admitted that they have not been sufficiently ambitious with their design of the car in order to keep pace with the frontrunners, as well as having had issues with wind tunnel testing, which has further hampered their progress.

For Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali, however, there is another element that is keeping the Red Bulls so far ahead: their chief designer Adrian Newey.

"It's true, Red Bull has built a better car," Domenicali told German publication Auto Bild Motorsport. "Why? Because Adrian Newey is simply more creative. We need to improve on this."

While Ferrari may be losing out, the real winners of the season so far have been the fans of the sport, who have been treated to a feast of overtakes in the first three races of the year- mostly thanks to technical innovations such as the KERS energy-recovery system and a new adjustable rear wing, which improves passing chances.

Faster-degrading tires have also been key to the excitement- something that will be important this weekend, given the high tire wear at the Istanbul Park circuit. Low temperatures and a chance of rain should only add to the excitement of what promises to be another thrilling Grand Prix.