Sebastian Vettel expressed his surprise after failing to reach the third qualifying session for the Austrian Grand Prix, meaning he will start back in 11th place.

Valtteri Bottas edged out Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamiton for pole position for the first race of the Formula One season at the Red Bull Ring.

Ferrari's hopes of making a promising start to the season look slim, however, as Vettel was unable to make the top 10 and Charles Leclerc had to settle for seventh place.

The Scuderia will not unleash their upgraded cars until the third round in Hungary and it seems that cannot come soon enough for Vettel, who will be moving on at the end of the season.

Asked about his Q2 exit on Saturday, the four-time F1 world champion said: "Surprised.

"I thought that we had a little bit more in hand, but it looks like the others were probably running a little bit more fuel or more conservative in practice."

However, Vettel is hopeful the Italian team will be more competitive during Sunday's race.

The German added: "I wasn't quite happy with the car… more oversteer on entry than I would like, but we'll see.

"I think tomorrow is a different picture. Maybe with the track getting a bit hotter it was a bit more costly for us today."