Webber: Toro Rosso stronger than Red Bull

That is the view of Red Bull's Mark Webber and Renault's Fernando Alonso, who both reckon that the combination of the STR3 chassis with a Ferrari engine is better than Red Bull's car with a Renault power unit.

Amid a growing acceptance that Ferrari's engine has edged clear of the Renault in the horsepower stakes, both drivers are convinced that the power advantage is now separating the two teams.

Speed trap figures in Valencia qualifying showed Ferrari engines holding the top four quickest times in sectors one and two.

Webber told autosport.com: "They [Toro Rosso] have been coming and with that sort of horsepower you can't deal with it.

"Their drivers are doing a good job - you can't drive around here doing that sort of time without doing a good job, that's clear, but they do have a stronger package at the moment."

When asked about his view on what Vettel's performance meant, Alonso said: "We know the Red Bull is one of the quickest cars now, and they (Toro Rosso) have the Ferrari engine - so obviously they have maybe an advantage there.

"We saw today, two exactly same cars, two Red Bulls and two Toro Rossos. One was in pole position and one was out of Q1 and Q2. I think Toro Rosso now is clearly in front of Red Bull after the last couple of races.

"Today, I think he (Vettel) did very well but also Sebastien Bourdais is in Q3 and fighting for good positions - so when the Toro Rosso is competitive we know that Sebastian will be in the top positions.

"It was a great performance, a great weekend and I think tomorrow they have a very high chance to score many points. It is another competitor that we (Renault) have now."

Despite his feelings about the merits of the Toro Rosso package, Webber admits that his biggest concern is not what his sister team are doing but about the overall performance of Red Bull Racing.

"I'm not that worried about Toro Rosso. I'm worried about the position where we are irrespective of where they are. I'm not really that bothered - but whether Vettel wants to come here or not next year is another thing! He might want a Ferrari up his arse next year.

"We've got a good bunch of guys here, it's so easy to make knee-jerk reactions. What's clear is we're not where we want to be."