Ferrari engine better than Mercedes - Red Bull chief

Red Bull chief Christian Horner believes Ferrari have produced the best power unit on the grid, ending Mercedes' stranglehold over the sport in the horsepower stakes. A revolutionary method of harvesting electrical energy is reportedly behind Ferrari's speed gains, which has also seen Haas and Sauber make ground in the midfield battle.

Sebastian Vettel eased to victory at the British Grand Prix last weekend, with Silverstone becoming as power-sensitive as ever in F1's modern high-downforce era.

By contrast, Red Bull were well off the pace and were in a battle of their own to be the third best team.

Although Mercedes have had the most powerful engines since F1's switch to V6 Hybrid models, it is now believed that Ferrari have leapfrogged them.

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"I think it's setting the benchmark now," Horner said of Ferrari's power unit. "Haas and Sauber as well having made good gains.

"We're probably further outside. It's still a long way to go.

"I think every third race, that's been the ratio so far. So if you go on that, Hungary we should have a chance, Singapore, Japan, they're all tracks that theoretically should suit our strengths."

Red Bull have rolled the dice for 2019, swapping Renault power units for Honda, a decision Horner says is down to the Japanese marque's comparative room for growth.

"You can see the situation between the engines is very similar at the moment, and it's all about the potential development," Horner said.

"This weekend has been a very tough weekend for Renault, and it just very clearly defines where the level is at - you can't hide behind the statistics of what we've seen.

"There is a gap to fill and hopefully in Honda - we have a lot of belief in what they have coming in the pipeline."