Horner backs Webber to fight back

That is the view of his team boss Christian Horner, who reckons that part of the explanation for the larger than normal gap between his two drivers this year has been down to the switch to Pirelli.

"I think that it is a different characteristic of tyre," said Horner, who has seen Vettel outqualify and outrace Webber in all four races so far this season.

"Seb's driving style, and the way he has adopted his driving style, suit the tyre. Mark is getting better and better at that with more mileage, and I think we have seen them converging over recent races.

"I expect that to be the case when we head back to circuits that Mark has traditionally been very strong at."

F1's next events take place in Spain and Monaco, venues where Webber was able to head home team-mate Vettel last year.

Horner believes that it is too early to state that Vettel will have the measure of Webber for the rest of the campaign on the basis of his strong form so far this year.

"We are still pretty early in the season," he said. "They haven't been close to each other during the races in the early part, but over the last couple of races they have come much closer together. We are fortunate to have two drivers with such quality in the team."

Speaking about the forthcoming races on his official website, Webber said: "I'm excited about the next few races. I like Barcelona and Monaco and I hope the car will be good at both tracks. Success breeds success, but we've got to keep working: heads down, arse up."