As Red Bull seeks to close the gap to Mercedes and Ferrari, the Italian outfit having taken an enormous step forward over the inter, the gap to the midfield runners has actually increased. And while the midfield battle has intensified, it is clear that only under highly unusual circumstances will one of these teams challenge the leading trio for a possible win.

Speaking ahead of the Bahrain GP weekend, Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz admitted his frustration.

"For me they are in a different category," he told reporters, "I don't even look at them.

"It is stupid," he continued. "It is a complete joke the way that we don't race against them anymore. It feels, for me, a bit of a pain, but I am sure if I was in one of those teams I wouldn't mind for sure.

"To have 2.5 seconds is something I don't enjoy and I am not sure even Lewis enjoys it," he added. "And I think it can only grow. This is my regret. I think it can only grow up because it means more money, and teams like Renault can also make the difference coming from behind with more budget.

"But I think James Key is going to do a great job and we will bring some good upgrades and keep up some good battles," he concluded.

Check out our Friday gallery from Bahrain, here.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by NS Biker, 14/04/2017 19:09

"In spite of what Pirelli promised .... is there any correlation between the three teams that did the tyre testing and the three teams currently at the head of the timesheets.? Ya think.!!
Given the parity in the power plants, the difference in performance seems to be well beyond aero influences. Yes there are differences in budgets and team infrastructure (bigger seems to be better) but the gap between the top three and the rest just might be in part due to tyre testing and data collection.
"

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2. Posted by edllorca, 14/04/2017 15:08

"Starting to sound like F1 and F1.5"

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Sainz: Gap to leaders a "complete joke"

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