Red Bull have admitted their stunning pace in qualifying for the Bahrain GP was as much a surprise to them as it was for the rest of the field - but only, it would seem, because they've ran heavy throughout the winter.
Contrary to the widespread expectation that Ferrari would take pole position, if not a 1-2 for the first grand prix of the season, Seb Vettel, who was also fastest in Qualy 2, edged out Felipe Massa to grab the coveted P1.
"It's a big surprise," beamed Vettel, who out-paced pre-session favourite Fernando Alonso by over half a second. "In winter testing no-one really knew where they were, although it was clear we were pretty strong, but close to each other.
He added: "I knew we had a great car, but obviously first of all we had to get it together. I am very, very happy to be on pole, the boys didn't get much sleep in the last month, a lot of testing in a short amount of time and to come here, where everybody shows how strong they are, and come out on top is a nice feeling."
With team boss Christian Horner revealing that "the first time we took the fuel out of the car was today", it would appear that Red Bull deliberately concealed the full extent of their pace and capabilities until Saturday's qualifying hour in Bahrain.
The shock felt by the rest of the field will be compounded by the sobering realisation that Red Bull would probably have secured a 1-2 but for Mark Webber making a critical mistake in the middle sector of his qualifying lap.
However, while Saturday may have gone well, Vettel is refusing to make any predictions for Sunday's grand prix when the teams will race for the first time since a ban on refuelling was introduced.
"I think we all don't know what is going to be happen tomorrow yet, it could be very exciting, it could be very boring," the German said. "That is what I hope for! We want a calm race, all of us here would like to be where we start, it is a difficult situation to be in.
"The first part of the race will be crucial but there is no secret that you need to take care of tyres. All of us don't know what to expect tomorrow."
