Reigning two-time world champion Sebastian Vettel attempted to emphasize the positives after Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix provided more compelling evidence of Red Bull's dramatic decline.

The German said he was pleased to finish fifth in Shanghai, after the indignity of starting a lowly 11th on the grid when he failed to make the third session of qualifying on Saturday.

His bad weekend - which was a stark contrast to last year's domination - reached another low when he made a rotten start to the race, falling to 15th, before slowly making his way through the unfamiliar territory of midfield.