While Ferrari reflects on the misery of Melbourne, and team boss Stefano Domenicali calls on his team not to overreact, McLaren's Ron Dennis has warned that nobody should write off the Maranello outfit, predicting that it will soon bounce back to form.

It's not their true pace and we're under no illusions," he told reporters following Sunday's season opener, which saw the Italian team pick up a single point while his team claimed fourteen, following a performance by the Italian team in which the form book went out the window.

"They're a very competitive team," he added, "they're well run. We know they're going to be a very strong team in all the remaining races and we've got to be stronger than them. All we can do is try and stay focused on our own efforts and that is what we will do."

Looking ahead to next weekend's race in Malaysia, which he will not be attending, Dennis predicted that there could be more shocks in store and that it will be another couple of races before we can more accurately gauge the true form of the various teams and drivers.

"I think even if in the next two races we maintain the competitiveness, the true strengths of everybody's cars will not be known until Barcelona," he said. "I think we have shown we have a very competitive car; our cars were very reliable through the weekend, so we will go to Malaysia with a very positive mood."