At a time Ferrari should be concentrating on the fact that Mercedes has scored 1-2s in all three races so far, while it has scored just a brace of thirds, the Italian team once again finds itself being questioned over its use of team orders.

Having told Charles Leclerc to hold position behind his teammate, Sebastian Vettel, in Australia, two weeks later the Monegasque, when asked to hold off on a move on the German, took matters into his own hands just a lap later. In China, asked to yield to the German, Leclerc eventually finished fifth, losing out courtesy of Ferrari's poor strategy and the fact that Vettel didn't have the pace he claimed.

Ahead of a race weekend which could well see further issues, when asked if he will obey team orders if are issued, he replied: "Depending on the situation.

Asked if he feels he can beat Vettel in terms of the title, he said: "I don't know, it's very early in the season still, I don't know, it's a tricky question.

"I believe there is the potential to do so," he continued, "but then from the potential to actually doing it, I need to do a lot of work and put all the things together. But, yeah, we'll see."

"I think it's normal that you try to do everything to perform well and I think everybody else is on the same page," said Vettel. "Obviously I understand that people are talking about the decisions we've made here and there but, you know, it will be impossible to know now where we will be in a couple of months' time or in half a year's time, I think only time will be able to tell.

"So we'll see," he continued, "but certainly from the team's point of view we try to maximise the points and I think, you know, I felt I was faster in China in the opening stint. Unfortunately we couldn't chase down the Mercedes, for both of us, and they grabbed the win and the 1-2, but that's been the target, the ambition, and I'm sure that if we continue working hard we will get there.

"I think again, from the outside, and after the race, it's always easier than when you're in the race," he added. "After the race you can have the whole paddock being able to sit on the pit-wall during the race and I don't see that much courage to jump and make that decision."

Check out our Thursday gallery from Baku, here.