Vettel & Ferrari baffled by Mercedes

Sebastian Vettel says he and Ferrari are confused by Mercedes' inconsistency in 2018 and suggests that Red Bull have in fact been more reliable. Ferrari replaced the Silver Arrows atop the constructors' standings, while Vettel leapfrogged Lewis Hamilton in the individual rankings at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Valtteri Bottas led Hamilton in a front-row lockout at the Red Bull Ring, but both Mercedes were forced to retire - the team's first double DNF in more than two years.

Max Verstappen went on to win Red Bull's home race, ending a run of consecutive Mercedes wins in Spielberg that chart back to the race's return to F1. Similar runs of dominance have also ended in China and Canada this year.

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Hamilton heads to this week's British Grand Prix having won the race in each of the past four years, and chasing a record-breaking sixth triumph on home soil.

However, Mercedes have failed at similarly happy hunting grounds already this year, leaving Ferrari uncertain on when to expect their rivals to impress.

"With Mercedes it's sometimes difficult to understand why they are up, why they are down," Vettel said.

"With Red Bull, they are more consistent. There are certain types of tracks that maybe suit them, and others that don't.

"You don't know what's going on. We've had our races where we've been very strong, and others where we weren't very strong for some reasons, and then we were able to improve in those areas.

"Apart from lap one, if you take France as a weekend then it was very positive, especially if you compare it to Barcelona - similar asphalt, same tyres - and so on. We were in a much better place. Why Mercedes are so competitive, and other times not, I don't know."