Red Bull running two weeks ahead of schedule - Marko

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Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko says the lead-in to the senior bull squad's 2020 season is going "better than ever" with the team's chassis production running two weeks ahead of schedule.

In the past few years, Red Bull Racing has typically lagged its front-running rivals in the early part of the F1 season, the Milton Keynes-based outfit requiring a couple of months to fine-tune its car's specification and get it up to speed.

But Marko and Red Bull's Max Verstappen have both stressed the importance of hitting the ground running in Melbourne next March if team and driver are to contend for the 2020 world championship.

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According to Marko, RBR and engine partner Honda are on course to fulfill that condition.

"We have taken a lesson and next year we will not have any excuses," said Marko, speaking alongside Verstappen on Servus TV's Sport & Talk programme on Monday.

"Our Honda power is top, Max is also top so now we have to deliver a good chassis. At the moment we are two weeks ahead of our schedule. It goes better than ever before."

Verstappen reiterated his belief that he'll be able to fight for the title from the outset next season.

"I am really positive," he said. "I feel well within Red Bull, and everything goes really well and that is the most important in the end.

"We all want to win together. I am relaxed and feel well within the team. I want to win with Red Bull."

The Dutchman recently admitted that a strong start to his 2020 campaign would likely be a factor in his decision to either extend his allegiance to Red Bull or seek a greener pasture from 2021.

For now however, the 22-year-old is committed to his current racing family.

"I am really positive," he said. "I feel well within Red Bull, and everything goes really well and that is the most important in the end.

"We all want to win together. I am relaxed and feel well within the team. I want to win with Red Bull."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.