Mark Webber: Red Bull still Formula 1's benchmark team

Red Bull has only won three races and taken four pole positions from the first 11 races this season, while at the same stage of the 2011 campaign it had six wins and 11 poles.

Webber and team-mate Sebastian Vettel are both trailing Ferrari's Fernando Alonso in the drivers' championship as well, but the Australian believes that the constructors' championship - where Red Bull leads the way by 53 points - is proof of the team's continued strength.

"We've had a bit of friendly fire within our operation this year, so Seb has lost points and I have too," Webber told reporters at Spa. "But generally we always grab something at the end.

"That's down to the quality of the team. We still are the benchmark in many many areas, and that's related to the position in the teams' championship.

"We don't have as many podiums as some of the other teams, but I haven't really thought about that. We've got more points and that's what matters. We won't count the podiums at the end of the year, we'll count the points."

Webber added that despite his faith in the strength of Red Bull, he does not expect the mixed-up nature of the 2012 season to change in the championship run-in.

"We've been saying since Malaysia, when is it going to change?" he said. "I don't see anything changing too much now, unless someone comes out with something pretty special. But if that was going to happen I think we would have seen it by now.

"There's a long way to go. There's plenty more sticks in the river for all of us to come across.

"When you have someone with the quality of Sebastian on one win, it shows you the quality and the depth we have this year."