While the 2013 Shelby GT500 has garnered a lion’s share of the attention from speed junkies the past few months, Ford has another performance vehicle they’d like you to know about. We mean of course the Focus ST, an EcoBoost-powered hot hatchback with 247 horsepower, a sophisticated suspension setup, and as it turns out, quite the attitude.

See, in order to introduce the Focus ST to potential customers, Ford has put together a series of videos called the “ST Sessions” with some of its biggest motorsports competitors. Ford has just released the second session (click here to see session one) with driver Matt Johnson behind the wheel of the Focus ST. His challenge? A game of hide and seek versus Honda’s Civic Si and the Mazdaspeed 3 in a warehouse.

Lest you think the odds are stacked in the favor of the Focus, you should know the stats. While the 2012 Honda Civic Si only packs 197 horsepower, the Mazdaspeed 3 actually outguns the Focus ST with its 263 horsepower engine. But it is hard to use all of that power in the tight confines of the warehouse, where the Focus ST’s superior suspension lets it pull ahead.

Make no mistake, this is a carefully choreographed marketing effort, and Ford is being pretty damn aggressive in calling out its competitors. But you know what that says to us? They’re confident in their product. Maybe even a little cocky. And that isn’t a bad attitude to have in a performance car of this magnitude. The Focus ST is coming out of the gate swinging, which leaves us wondering what compact performance car is it setting its sights on next?