Despite a lights-to-flag victory in Bahrain, world champion Sebastian Vettel admits that his team is under pressure this season.

His pole on Saturday afternoon was his first of the year, having been out-qualified at the first three races by his teammate, Mark Webber. His win was the first since last year's Indian Grand Prix, coming at a time when the headlines - Is Vettel cracking under the pressure? - were beginning to get ever more hysterical.

On a weekend where McLaren appeared to fall apart, Vettel and the RB8 always looked strong, and while some believe it is now 'business as usual' with the team taking up where it left off last year, the German isn't so sure.

"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," he continued. "Nevertheless, I think we've had good races. But it is 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.

"We've only had four races," he added. "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."

In China, Vettel, for reason best known to himself, chose a totally different set-up for his car, opting for the old exhaust layout while Webber went for the new, many saw it as a sign of the German's desperation.

"Maybe Mark is struggling a bit less (this season), I don't know," said Vettel, "but we talk about how the car feels and agree on most stuff."

"In Italy we'll be able to test and evaluate a lot of things and get the car in a happier place for Barcelona," he added, referring to next week's test at Mugello.