Max Verstappen not commenting on Wolff's prediction

Toto Wolff thinks F1 is heading for a three-team battle in 2018. While some think Mercedes is clearly still in the lead, Ferrari is notably confident and Red Bull is keeping its cards very close to its chest. "Red Bull is the fastest car at the moment but we, Ferrari and them are very close," Mercedes boss Wolff told Sky Italia in Barcelona. "There is no big difference."

When asked about Wolff's prediction, Verstappen smiled in Barcelona: "We'll find out in Melbourne. "It's too early and I don't want to talk about it." The Dutchman would only say that his good impression formed in the freezing test conditions last week was "confirmed" now that the weather is better. "The question mark is about the others," Verstappen said.

As for whether Red Bull is planning big car upgrades before Melbourne, he said: "I can only advise you to keep your eyes open."

Carlos Sainz admitted that while Renault might be 'best of the rest', the gap to the top three teams is still significant. "I would not be surprised," said the Spaniard. "Because the cars are an evolution and it is very difficult to recover a gap to Ferrari and Mercedes since they are the ones with the most resources," he added. "As for the rest we'll see, but I think the battle in the middle group will be incredibly dense," said Sainz. (GMM)