Max Verstappen concedes that Mercedes still has the upper hand, but he's also convinced that Red Bull is slowly but surely bridging the gap.
It was pretty much a status quo at the top of the timesheets in Barcelona this week compared with where 2016 ended, with Mercedes' Silver Arrows still leading the pack.
But for the Milton Keynes outfit to catch up with its dominant rival, it will mostly have to rely on engine partner Renault to do the work. And Verstappen is confidant the French manufacturer will step up to the challenge.
"For sure they (Mercedes) still will have an advantage over us in the beginning of the season, power-wise, but I think we are definitely catching up," said the 19-year-old Dutch prodigy.
Red Bull's workload at the Circuit de Catalunya focused mainly on reliability and car discovery, but updates are already in the works for next week, according to Verstappen.
"I think for sure the most important thing for us was trying and make mileage and seeing if all the parts were holding on. I think everything has been behaving pretty well.
"I think for us it was very positive. We've done quite a bit of mileage and also for me to get used to the car and also the whole team to understand the new type of car. I think we did a good job."
GALLERY: F1 drivers' wives and girlfriends
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Fernando Alonso has highlighted the “sensitivity” of Lance Stroll’s technical feedback, a key ingredient in…
As the world prepares to commemorate on May 1st the 30th anniversary of Ayrton Senna's…
The coveted jewel of Formula E finally fell to Mitch Evans after several years of…
Red Bull admits it’s facing a steep learning curve with its in-house engine development, but…
Sky F1 commentator Damon Hill believes a return to McLaren could be the most fitting…
A special chapter in F1 history was written on this day in 1975 when Lella…