Sebastian Vettel has admitted Red Bull will not be able to catch up with Mercedes in 2014.
Mere hours ago, reports suggested the reigning world champion was not yet writing off his chances of winning a fifth consecutive world title this year.
But he has now told the Swiss publication Motorsport Aktuell: “I doubt we can close the gap to Mercedes this season.
“At the moment they are the measure of all things.
“We at Red Bull and Ferrari need to realise that we are lagging far behind in terms of power to Mercedes.
“Unless they make mistakes, they can in theory win all of the remaining races,” German Vettel added ahead of his home race at Hockenheim.