Nico Rosberg insists that Mercedes GP are not as far behind their rivals as the 1.892s gap to pole sitter Sebastian Vettel suggests.
Having topped the charts on the final day of pre-season testing in Barcelona, much was expected of the Brackley-based squad in Australia, but come qualifying the team failed to deliver the goods, with Rosberg coming in seventh and Michael Schumacher eleventh.
Despite the early setback, Rosberg insists that the times are not a completely accurate measure for where the team is in comparison to their rivals.
"We are not as bad as we look today," Rosberg told Autosport.
"We must not exaggerate and say that we are 1.9 seconds off the pace.
"For one, technically not everything was working on my car in qualifying, so there is a bit of time there. And I had a lock-up on my fastest laps. There were a few things that came together.
"But, on the other hand, we are definitely further away than we thought. That is very clear," he added.
