After the race, Mercedes executive director Toto Wolff said: "Some you win and some you lose and Ferrari had the quicker car."

But Clear was uncertain about that claim, saying it was impossible to tell from the evidence of the opening round in the Vettel-Lewis Hamilton battle for victory.

"If they'd got into a close battle at some stage we would have seen who was quicker," Clear told Sky Sports F1.

"But, honestly, I can't tell you which was the quicker car today, because I don't think either of them saw the opportunity to really pile on the pressure.

"Early on, Lewis was managing the pace because that was the right thing to do. And once Seb was ahead he was managing the pace.

"We really still don't know the answer to how quick we are in absolute terms. We know that today we won."

Strategy evolved on the pitwall

On the subject of the pitstops, which turned the race, Clear said Ferrari was considering an undercut before Hamilton pitted early on lap 18.

That forced its hand into an overcut, which was aided when Hamilton got stuck behind the Red Bull of Max Verstappen.

"We were always thinking that we probably had reasonable pace the undercut was possible," said Clear. "We were trying to get right up behind Hamilton for the undercut – and he went early.

"From that point you think 'okay we go as long as we can and maybe we attack them at the end', but then he got caught up in traffic and the undercut offered itself effectively.

"Honestly it was sort of fell into our hands when he got stuck behind Verstappen. You prepare for these things, the strategy beforehand understands that that may happen.

"Obviously Seb was pushing as soon as Lewis came in, because if he has a warm-up problem or anything you overcut. Obviously getting stuck behind Verstappen played into our hands."