Sebastian Vettel was a frustrated man after a difficult Friday for Ferrari at the Spanish Grand Prix.

The German was hit by a gearbox issue mid-way through the morning session and more generally, the Scuderia seemed to have little response to Mercedes as their revised W08 hit the track for the first time.

Asked how the day had gone, the former four-time champion said: “So far pretty bad, I struggled a bit with the car balance in general so conditions today seemed to be quite challenging.

“I think we would have loved to do a bit more running, get a bit of a better feel for the car. It was OK but as I said, we can improve.

“I don’t know what Mercedes was up to. It looks like it will be between them and us, but as I said I wasn’t happy. I think there was quite a lot left on the track which I didn’t get to, didn’t find yet. So need to have a look tonight.”

Vettel also played down the hype surrounding Mercedes' upgrade, believing the Italian team can still challenge should they solve the problems from Friday.

“I don’t know who brought the most updates, I don’t think it matters who brought the most, I think it matters who brought the best,” the 29-year-old claimed.

“Some of them are more visual than others. I’m happy with what we brought, some of the stuff you can see, some of the stuff you will not see, so no secrets but the usual work.

“I wasn’t too happy but I can feel the car is quick so I am not worried," he added, "just not happy with how the day went.

"I didn’t feel as if I was always the captain on board – sometimes somebody else is steering my ship but I hope tomorrow, whoever that was, they disappear.”