Red Bull chief designer Adrian Newey is backing McLaren for a strong season in 2019.

After ending last year towards the back of the grid, the British outfit is showing signs of a resurgence after getting both cars in Q3 in Bahrain with Lando Norris going on to finish sixth.

Having been the creator behind Mika Hakkinen's two championship-winning McLaren's in the late 1990s, Newey was even seen taking a closer look at their MCL34 on the grid prior to the last race.

“McLaren have obviously had a rough couple of years in terms of probably their chassis not being as good as it could be but they have turned it around this year,” he commented on Natalie Pinkham's The Pink Podcast.

“I think they’ve produced a good car, for sure, which should certainly give them a much better season than they had last year.

“It’s unlikely it’s going to give them race-winning performance but they have made a good step which is positive for the sport.”

Also Read:

• Norris: McLaren stepping back has helped build a strong 2019 'platform'
• Alonso: McLaren can challenge for 'best of the rest' in F1 this year
• Newey: Red Bull enjoying 'trust' in Honda after 'mud slinging' with Renault

Norris' teammate Carlos Sainz was even giving Red Bull's Max Verstappen a hard time early on in Bahrain, with the pair making contact at Turn 4.

As has been for several years though, the question is whether McLaren can sustain their early season or will they fall away as others develop their cars.