(CNN) -- Last weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix was an encouraging race for Ferrari, with Fernando Alonso's victory lifting some of the gloom which had descended over the legendary Italian team after a disappointing preseason.
But while double world champion Alonso celebrated an unlikely triumph in one garage, the mood was considerably more sombre in the camp of his teammate Felipe Massa.
The Brazilian has seen his position at Formula One's most successful team constantly called into question, having struggled to recapture his best form after fracturing his skull during a freak accident at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix.
The former Sauber driver's downturn continued with a disappointing 15th-place finish at the Sepang International Circuit, having failed to finish the season-opening race in Australia after colliding with Williams' Bruno Senna.
But Ferrari's team principal Stefano Domenicali has backed the 30-year-old to answer his critics.
Australian Grand Prix: March 18, Melbourne
Formula One 2012: The circuits
Ferrari unveiled the F2012 Friday, their car for the forthcoming Formula One season. The Italian team had planned to reveal the car Thursday, but heavy snowfall around the team's factory forced a postponement.
Ferrari unveil F2012
"I well remember that, four years ago, in fact right after a Malaysian Grand Prix, which was won for us by Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe was more or less in the same situation as today," Domenicali told the team's official website.
"The papers were demanding his immediate replacement and he managed to react in the best way possible, thanks to support from the team, which saw him win two of the next three races."
In 2008, Massa was denied his first world title in heartbreaking circumstances.
He won the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix and began celebrating, but was denied the championship by one point as McLaren's British driver Lewis Hamilton overtook Timo Glock on the final corner to finish fifth and steal the glory.
"We remember how that particular season ended, with the Brazilian actually world champion, even if it was just for a few seconds, while we took our sixteenth Constructors' title," Domenicali said.
He also revealed that, instead of spending time with his family ahead of the next race in China on April 15, Massa is heading to Italy to work with the team at Ferrari's home base.
"He will be in Maranello to work alongside the engineers to calmly analyze everything that happened in these past two races, trying to identify why he was not able to deliver what he is capable of," Domenicali said.
"That's the right spirit and we are here, ready to help him."
Despite a positive result in Malaysia, Domenicali warned there is still work to do to ensure the F2012 car is competitive ahead of the next race in Shanghai.
"I asked all my people to push to the maximum to try to bring forward as much as possible the developments planned for the next few races," he said.
"Having Fernando leading the championship means nothing, and we definitely don't think all our problems have been made to vanish with the wave of a magic wand."
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Malaysian Grand Prix: March 25, Kuala Lumpur 
Chinese Grand Prix: April 15, Shanghai 
Bahrain Grand Prix: April 22, Sakhir 
Spanish Grand Prix: May 13, Catalunya 
Monaco Grand Prix: May 27, Monte Carlo 
Canadian Grand Prix: June 10, Montreal 
European Grand Prix: June 24, Valencia 
British Grand Prix: July 8, Silverstone 
German Grand Prix: July 22, Hockenheim 
Hungarian Grand Prix: July 29, Budapest 
Belgian Grand Prix: September 2, Spa 
Italian Grand Prix: September 9, Monza 
Singapore Grand Prix: September 23, Singapore 
Japanese Grand Prix: October 7, Suzuka 
Korean Grand Prix: October 14, Yeongam 
Indian Grand Prix: October 28, New Delhi 
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: November 4, Yas Marina 
United States Grand Prix: November 18, Austin 
Brazilian Grand Prix: Sao Paulo, November 25 
The most striking aspect of the car's design is the new steeped-nose feature. The change has been made to conform to new regulations regarding the height of the front chassis.
The engine Spanish driver Fernando Alonso hopes will power him to a third world championship triumph. Alonso won just one race in 2011 and finished 135 points behind Red Bull's title winner Sebastian Vettel.
Brazil's Felipe Massa has praised the aggression of the new car and described it as part of his dreams. Massa will hope the newly-designed steering wheel can guide him to greater success in 2012, after finishing last season sixth.
Silverstone-based Force India also unveiled their new VJM05 car at the historic British circuit on Friday.
The Indian-owned team will hope to build on last season's respectable sixth-place finish. Force India will be counting on the skills of drivers Paul di Resta of Britain and Germany's Nico Hulkenberg.
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