Vettel had to save fuel, insists Binotto

Vettel started the race in third on the grid, and that's where he finished, with the Ferrari man yet again not able to get close to the Mercedes - who locked out the front row in Baku for the fourth successive race this season.

The teams opted not to refuel its cars in Azerbaijan, with a safety car phase always expected. However, only a Virtual Safety Car phase was used in Baku, and Binotto revealed Vettel was trying to manage his fuel levels in the final few laps of the grand prix.

"At the end of the race, Sebastian had to pay attention to his fuel consumption and save a little fuel to reach the finish," the Ferrari team principal said. "You do that in most races, Seb did that on the very first lap, the others might do it sooner.

"Mercedes is very strong, and it is true that we were very fast in the winter in Barcelona. We focus on getting the most out of our car. We want to retain the strengths and weaknesses. We have to get more out of the tyres. We have to work flawlessly. In Barcelona, all racing teams will have improvements, the balance of power will shift again."