Ferrari believe, had Fernando Alonso started on the front-row of the grid alongside rival Sebastian Vettel, the Spaniard would have challenged for victory.
In reality, Alonso could only manage sixth on Saturday, but he managed to climb to second, albeit some 14 seconds adrift of the Red Bull driver.
“I believe if Fernando had been on the first row like Sebastian then it would have been a different story,” team principal Stefano Domenicali said.
“The main difference was that everyone, I believe, thought that the super soft was the tyre for the race, but because the temperature was higher, then it was the other way around.
“This is something to learn from, as it is so on the edge that a couple of degrees can make a difference.”
The Italian outfit must now concentrate on improving their qualifying pace, which Domenicali admitted isn’t an easy task.
“Unfortunately it is a very easy thing to say but a very difficult thing to do.”