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RBR not as confident in 2012 - Vettel

Sebastian Vettel took the lead in the drivers' championship with victory in Bahrain © Sutton Images

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• Sebastian Vettel

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Sebastian Vettel has admitted that Red Bull is "not as confident" this season going in to races as it was in 2011, despite winning in Bahrain.

Vettel secured his first pole position of the season in Sakhir and then went on to hold off Kimi Raikkonen's charge to take his maiden win of the year. The result made him the fourth winner of 2012, with Red Bull also becoming the fourth team to win this season, and Vettel admitted that the team knew it didn't have the strongest car.

"First of all, it's a nice story to say we had the best car by far before," Vettel told Metro. "Yes we had a very strong car, but sometimes we didn't have the best car yet had strong weekends. This year we'd have loved to be in a better place to start. Nevertheless, I think we've had good races.

"It's tight and we're not as confident as we used to be, so small things can make a difference in qualifying and have a big impact on the race. The faster you go on Saturday, the easier the race is on Sunday."

When asked why he was more closely matched with Mark Webber this season, Vettel said it could be that his team-mate had adapted to the new car better.

"First of all we've only had four races. I'm not entirely happy with where we are but I think there's great potential in the car. You have to give yourself time to try different things and see what works best for you. Maybe Mark struggles a bit less, I don't know, but we talk about how the car feels and agree on most stuff."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.