Clear order will emerge after three races - Horner

Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner admits he's pretty much in the haze when it comes to predicting where his team may fit in the pecking order next week in Melbourne.

While Mercedes and Ferrari appear as clear favourites to lead the grid, how teams will line behind the two powerhouses is anybody's guess.

"I think one thing's clear from pre-season... you don't need to be Einstein to work out that Mercedes have retained their advantage," Horner said.

" They have reliability and pace. In terms of pace they never really showed their hand but the reliability was incredibly impressive.

"Ferrari look like they have made a bit of a step, but thereafter it's anybody's guess. Toro Rosso, with their new engine, have made a good step and of course Williams will be in good shape. Force India also finished last season well also, so let's see."

In any case, the atmosphere prevailing at Red Bull is far more positive than last year, and augurs for a far better start to this season's campaign for the Milton Keynes outfit compared to 2015.

"I think certainly compared to previous pre-seasons we've enjoyed a lot more mileage; we've done some race simulations, and the car has run well.

"There were a few niggly new car issues, which you always encounter, but nothing fundamental went wrong, there was nothing that had us scratching our heads on the plane home. We didn't have any terminal failures.

Despite the positive vibe, Christian Horner admits he would be hard pressed to predict where Red Bull will perform relative to its rivals.

"Absolutely no idea until we get through the first three races, because obviously Melbourne is a bit of a one-off circuit.

"Let's get through three races and then I think there will be a clear order."

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