Verstappen hints that Red Bull’s straight-line speed could hamper the team in the three-way title fight.
Red Bull are renowned for their high corner speed due to strong downforce but have always struggled on straights.
Despite a positive pre-season, Max Verstappen believes it could still be an issue.
“We have to wait and see,” Verstappen said.
“The car compared to last year, definitely made some good improvements. but for sure everybody improved. From my personal feeling, we have quite a strong car.
“But we have to wait and see how good our overall package is with the straights here.
“It is definitely going to be a bit painful there. For sure I am optimistic but also realistic, so we will just have to wait and see.
“We have to be onto of that (the development of the chassis) as well compared to Mercedes and Ferrari.
“In the past, it has always been a strong point for Red Bull, the development during the season, but we have to wait and see how it is going to be this year again.
“It is a different year again. But I am confident in the team that they can build a great car and also maintain that. But the overall package needs to be right.”