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Red Bull Racing is working hard to recapture the glory days of 2010-13 when Sebastian Vettel landed the team every available world title, but this year it has so far found itself chasing Ferrari - a team that fell behind itself last year - as much as Mercedes. Team Principal Christian Horner is unsurprised by the perceived step backwards, however, which has been attributed to the chassis rather than the engine.
"We could see from pre-season testing that Mercedes looked strong and Ferrari had had a good winter but, to be honest with you, having analysed Australia, our performance relative to 12 months ago is nearly identical in terms of the amount of time we need to find to catch the guys up front," Horner said in China.
By the Bahrain Grand Prix, Red Bull had slashed the gap to pole position from 1.3 seconds in Melbourne to approximately 0.8 seconds, but it is evidently not a lack of raw power that is mainly causing the team to fall back, as the RB13 has thus far suffered with a lack of grip that has hampered Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen during races - particularly at the rear end.
Despite this, however, Horner is confident that Red Bull can develop its car well enough to be a more formidable challenger as 2017 goes on: "Last year, we managed to develop the car quite successfully and finish up ahead of Ferrari, winning a couple of races along the way. We're confident we have a good basis of a car in the RB13. The operating window of the car is pretty narrow and it will be a constant evolution and development throughout the season."
The team's engine supplier Renault must make progress if it is to usurp Ferrari and its power unit this year, particularly in qualifying - and to improve performance, it is working closely with Red Bull's new fuel and lubricant partner ExxonMobil, which Horner is quick to praise: "ExxonMobil have demonstrated in a very short space of time that their technical prowess is remarkable," he said.
"Their speed of reaction and development rate is stunning. We're already seeing the benefits with that, and they're working in close collaboration with our engine partner because, of course, the product has to work with those engine parameters."
Whatever Red Bull's struggles may be, its drivers are undoubtedly very strong, and both Ricciardo and Verstappen are seen as two of the sport's most exciting stars. They are crucial to the team's future prospects and are each firmly contracted. Horner is therefore relieved that Red Bull will not have to worry about the annual 'silly season' rumours: "For next year, it is not something we have to get involved in. We'll be interested observers but thankfully not involved."
Mason Hawker
Grand Prix of Belgium
C. Sainz jr
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Patentprutser
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At least Horner admits it's not Renault which is falling behind. They blame the chassis and not the engine. That makes it absolutely a possitive thing. RBR is the team with the best possibilities to catch up on that area