Ferrari"s drivers have...

Ferrari"s drivers have said they are going to have to beat McLaren in Hungary this weekend after the Italч­ian squad failed to close the gap on its rival in the French courts.

Felipe Massa explained: “We’ll do it on the track by working to the best of our abilities. The gaps aren’t too big and we are competitive: I would have won at the Nürч­burgring if it wasn’t for the tyre problem in the rain at the end.”

The Brazilian also hit out at the reliability issues that see him and team-mate Kimi Raikkonen trailing McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. He said: “We’ve fixed many of these faults and we are sorting out others.

“We didn’t expect Kimi’s KO at the Nürburgring, and we must overcome that. It can take away vital championч­ship points.” Raikkonen added: “We are not on the floor, but it didn’t make it any easier. We have a really competitive car and we won’t give up.”

Meanwhile, team boss Jean Todt has been raging about the verdict that saw McLaren escape the spying row without sanctions. “I am bitter about it,” he stormed. “On the one hand, a verdict of guilt was handed down, and on the other, no sanctions were imposed. It’s like playing a hand of poker with a rival who already knows what cards you hold.” Todt hit out after the World Motor Sport Council decreed that McLaren designer Mike Coughlan had received info from Ferч­rari technician Nigel Stepney, but that it couldn’t prove McLaren had used the knowledge to improve its cars.

While McLaren described the decision as “balanced and fair”, Ferrari was calling for the British team to be penalised, claiming the court’s verdict “legitimised dishonest behaviour in F1 and set a very serious precedent”. The Italians are threatening to appeal. “This story will not end here,” vowed Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo.