Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has conceded that the team has to close “quite a big gap” if it is to catch current pacesetters Ferrari and Mercedes.
Red Bull emerged as the third-best team in Australia, with Verstappen qualifying in fifth place, 1.3 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton, before going on to finish in the same position in the race.
When asked, ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, how long it could take Red Bull to close the deficit to its rivals, Verstappen replied, “it’s bit difficult to say really.”
“It’s quite a big gap, I’m quite confident we can definitely close it in the upcoming races to within a second and then we’ll see when we get the bigger upgrades also from the engine side.
“In qualifying [in Australia] everything felt good but we need more load, a bit more grip, we need more power.
“It’s a bit of both [engine and chassis gains], you try to make an efficient car on the straights to make up for the loss of power there but now we have to focus on getting the car in the right [set-up] window.
“Then hopefully we get the right upgrades from the engine side as well.”
Verstappen also believes the nature of the Shanghai circuit will provide a clearer pecking order this weekend.
“For sure we have to improve, but that’s how it is at the moment,” he commented.
“We’re definitely working hard to get new parts as soon as we can and try and get the pace up a bit and be closer to the top two teams.
“Behind us I think at the moment there’s a big gap, I think I could have done two pit stops in Melbourne and still had the same position.
“We will see on a normal race track here in Shanghai.”
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