Four-time Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel says it's unfair to compare his results this season with Australian teammate Daniel Ricciardo, who he believes has had a "smoother year".
Ricciardo has enjoyed two wins plus three podium finishes from 11 races in 2014, while Vettel has only had two third-place finishes.
The 25-year-old from Perth also leads their head-to-head qualifying record 6-3.
The Red Bull pair are separated by 43 points on the drivers' standings, with Ricciardo sitting third overall behind dominant Mercedes duo Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.
"First of all, I won't argue that he is doing a good job," Vettel said.
"On my side, I think I have plenty of qualifying sessions where we had some sort of trouble. I don't remember all of them, in terms of what the nature was, but we lost out many times because of that and in the races as well.
"At some times, it was obviously getting quite frustrating, but Formula One can be very nice and it can be very brutal as well by not giving you the chance to show what you can do.
"I'm not interested in comparing too much because, on my side, it's not fair to compare.
"Daniel has had a smoother year - I'm not saying perfect year because he's also had some issues - but way less than I had, so it's not entirely fair to compare."
The German hopes he doesn't have any more issues with reliability when the championship returns after its mid-season break for Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix at Spa.
"If you look at the start of the season, I was really fighting with the car and the last couple of races were very good," Vettel added.
"We didn't get it to come together, but I'm sure at some stage we will turn it around and we will be in a happier place."
Ricciardo said his confidence was riding high following his last-start win in Hungary and was hoping to build on his success this weekend and next round in Italy.
"Spa and Monza, on paper, aren't circuits that are going to suit us the most, but we're coming in with a bit of momentum so we'll try to pull off a good result here and in Monza and then we've got a few tracks that will really come to us after that," he said.
"So not much changes - just to keep building as always, keep learning and keep enjoying it. That's important: that's what I'm doing this year; I really am loving it; and just let that continue."
Qualifying begins at 2200 (AEST) on Saturday.
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