Horner surprised at huge gap Red Bull has with competition

The Mercedes team is doing all it can to catch up with Red Bull Racing, but it may take a while, team boss Toto Wolff already revealed. The difference between Mercedes and the Austrian team is, therefore, immense, as Lewis Hamilton experienced in Jeddah, calling the Red Bull the fastest car he has seen during his career.

Christian Horner, Red Bull's team boss, also heard the seven-time champion's words. "It's obviously very flattering, particularly considering some of the cars that Lewis has driven in recent history. We've got a great car. I mean, RB19 is a fantastic starting point for the season for us, and to have achieved 2 1-2 finishes in the first two races is more than we could have ever expected coming into this season."

Book of the season

Regardless, Horner refused to be overly optimistic about the outcome of the season during the team bosses' press conference, however much his team stands above the rest at the moment. "There's still 21 races to go and six sprint races. We're conscious of big updates that are coming for others in the coming weeks as we head back to Europe. So there's still a lot to do and an awfully long way to go."

In reality, Horner will also know that the huge gap his team has currently created is not normally easily reduced by the competition. Moreover, the Brit is surprised that the margin is so big: "We see that some teams have made a step forward. Some haven’t. But that's going to change from circuit to circuit, venue to venue. I've always said it's going to take three or four races to get a real pattern as to see what the actual form book is for the season