'Red Bull aren't ready to compete for the championship'

Dr Helmut Marko, head of driver development at Red Bull, is not convinced that his team will be capable of competing for the world championship this season, and feels much will depend on how much of an advantage Mercedes' can gain from their new engine.

Many observers feel that with an improved Renault engine and the ability of driver duo Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, Red Bull could compile a genuine challenge to Mercedes both in the drivers and constructors championships.

But Marko has poured cold water on those suggestions, feeling that his team will play second fiddle to Mercedes if their rival is able to maintain their gap to the competition.

He told Auto Motor und Sport: "I don't think we're in a situation where we can already go for the world championship.

"The Renault engine should be more reliable and powerful in 2018, and we'll be fighting with a competitive chassis at the outset.

"But Mercedes is producing a new engine, so the question is whether they'll have an even bigger advantage. If the engine does what we're promised, then we should be a lot closer to Mercedes.

"Adrian [Newey] saw that for the first time that we were able to beat Mercedes on our own and that you can race at the front when the engine is performing well.

"In the past we've always been stronger in the second half of the season. The analysis showed that we always tried to leave it as late as possible, but it doesn't help to try and find a few hundredths every two weeks. It's more important that you go into the season well prepared."

Red Bull finished in third position in the constructor's championship in 2017 on 368 points, a significant distance behind Ferrari on 522 points, trailing winners Mercedes (668 points).