Red Bull boss Christian Horner declared third place as the “dream start” for their Honda partnership in Australia.
As expected, the RB15 became a much stronger package in race trim, with Max Verstappen able to apply to keep pace with the Mercedes’ and Ferrari’s in the first stint.
Then, when Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton pitted much earlier, the Dutchman would produce a solid overtake on the German to move into the podium places.
“I think it was a great day for us to get a podium,” Horner told Sky Sports.
“Max’s drive, his pass on Sebastian, he then put Lewis under a lot of pressure in the second half of the race. So it’s a fantastic performance – for us to get a podium first race with a new power unit is a dream start.
“They’ve [Honda] given us a great product over the winter and the engine is delivering good power, it’s been reliable. Max has been able to use that to really good effect today.”
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Given Red Bull historically start each year a little behind in terms of performance, to compete against their two rivals in Melbourne is highly encouraging for Red Bull.
“I think we’ve overperformed in the race,” Horner continued. “We all came here expecting to be trounced by Ferrari, and Mercedes obviously were very strong yesterday but not as strong in the race as they were yesterday.
“To put Lewis under pressure for pretty much 50% of the Grand Prix, I thought we had the quicker car than him certainly in the second half.
“To do that, at this venue, is really encouraging for us. I think we’ve got a good basis from which to start and develop this car.”
In a tweet clear aimed at Fernando Alonso, Red Bull suggested “now we can fight” post-race, referencing the Spaniard’s same comment after finishing fifth with McLaren-Renault in Melbourne last year.