Sebastian Vettel says he and Ferrari are still in the fight for the world championship this year despite not scoring a victory at the first five races.
Vettel is already 52 points adrift of Nico Rosberg in the drivers' championship and Ferrari is 23 points down on its points tally after five races last year. Although Vettel looked capable of winning the opening grand prix in Australia this season, the gap to Mercedes appears to be getting bigger and it was Red Bull that took advantage of Mercedes' failure to finish in Spain.
With nearly a quarter of the season gone, Vettel remains convinced that he is still in the fight for the championship.
"I think yes, we can -- there is the chance," he said. "Obviously we are not in the best position now, we're not the favourites going to Monaco -- the favourites have to remain Mercedes. But we will try very hard and if there's a chance to win we'll try to win.
"Our first step towards the potential championship is the race in Monaco, and that's how we take it. After Monaco is Canada so we go step by step not trying to look too far ahead. But overall I'm convinced that the chance is there."
After struggling in qualifying at the Spanish Grand Prix, Vettel is confident Ferrari should be more competitive on the streets of Monaco.
"I think it should be a strong track for us, we were very competitive last year, I think we improved the car in those areas, the areas you need for Monaco, the car is better in terms of ride, kerbing, in general so it should help for Monaco"