Red Bull has managed to fast-track a planned upgrade for the RB15 from the Chinese Grand Prix to this weekend in Australia.
The Milton Keynes outfit remains somewhat of an unknown when it comes to their performance, with Pierre Gasly’s best lap time on the C5 Pirelli tyre some eight-tenths off the pace set by Ferrari and Mercedes.
However, with expectations raised based on the potential of Honda, advisor Helmut Marko confirmed the progress was being rapidly made.
“Parts that were planned for the third race were brought forward, thanks to all the pressure a highly motivated Adrian [Newey] could provide to get them on to the car for Melbourne,” he told Austria’s ServusTV.
That will certainly be a welcome boost to Red Bull, who historically struggle for performance at the start of a year before making rapid gains during it.
“Our optimism is not unfounded. I see us behind Ferrari over the race distance, but ahead of Mercedes,” Marko predicted.
“The RB15 is certainly the best and most expensive car in the history of Red Bull Racing if you take efficiency and the technical perfection of the parts.
“[It was only possible] because in every phase every employee was convinced: Now we are back on track. Now we have another chance to drive for victories on our own.”
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Red Bull has also been riding a wave of positivity since announcing the switch to Honda engines last June and the team insist it is more than just bluster.
“There have been many negative voices saying that Honda can’t do it, but we’ve never had such faultless test days,” Marko said.
“If we have more horsepower, it’s only logical that we have to look forward this year. Last year we had four victories, [this year] five victories is realistic and I hope there will be even more.”
