Sebastian Vettel has said that it is understandable Ferrari have faltered as they bid to catch up with dominant Mercedes.

In the opening two races, Kimi Raikkonen's red car failed in Australia while Vettel did not even make it to the Bahrain grid.

"Both were new problems and we understood the causes," German Vettel said in Shanghai on Thursday. "We are sure we have solved them."

Asked if reliability is sometimes the price of rapid development in F1, Speed Week quotes the quadruple world champion as saying: "Indeed.

"To catch up to the top, we need to make larger steps. If we make some mistakes it's not dramatic, the important thing is how to react and ensure they are not repeated."

"No," said Vettel when asked if Ferrari's problems so far this year mean that the 2016 title is already gone. "We still have plenty of time, it's a very long season. There are no reasons for concern or panic."

The season continues with the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday.