Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has given insight into why he believes Ferrari has slipped so far behind Mercedes after such a promising pre-season for the Italian team.

In the two week test at the Circuit de Catalunya, Ferrari appeared to have the fastest car of anyone by a fair margin, up to 0.3s according to some estimates that had come from other teams in the paddock.

However, since then the reigning champions in Mercedes have stamped their authority on the 2019 season, taking four straight one-two race wins and have accumulated almost double the number of points Ferrari has in just four races.

Speaking in Baku, Binotto highlighted why he thought the team had fallen behind its rivals.

“I have repeatedly said that we should not overestimate the results of the practices,” he told media in Baku.

“The teams work on different programs with different levels of fuel and different engine settings, so it is very difficult to draw conclusions on that basis.

“As for the race, there are also reasons. For one, depending on whether you are in front or behind means you work differently with the tyres. It’s much easier to drive with an empty track ahead of you.

“And of course, our rivals were also very strong."

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