Horner staying realistic about Red Bull championship chances

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has played down speculation that his team could be challenging for the 2019 world championship.

Having switched from Renault power to Honda, the team secured Honda's first podium finish since returning to the sport in 2015 after Max Verstappen's third-place finish in Melbourne.

Despite beating Sebastian Vettel in the Ferrari for the final podium place and challenging Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton for second, Horner remained cautious about the team's chances ahead of the second race of the season.

“I think it’s too early to talk about championships, but certainly to be on the podium is a great moment for Honda,” he told ESPN.

“We’re very proud of that achievement, grateful for the product they’ve given us. Hopefully it’s a starting point for a strong season.

“We want to close the gap to Mercedes and Ferrari [and] we’ve done that. It’s only one race but we have a good start. We have to build on this positive energy.”

Although Verstappen impressed during the Australian Grand Prix, new teammate Pierre Gasly endured a more difficult race having started from 17th on the grid following an error by the team in qualifying.

Despite not finishing inside the points on his Red Bull debut, Horner was optimistic Gasly's pace would be on show in Bahrain.

“It’s still early days. There’s always pressure in Formula 1 but I thought he drove a good race. He just needs a straightforward weekend. He built his way into the weekend very well, his feedback’s very strong.

“We know he’s got the pace, we’ve just got to give the kid a bit of time and it’ll come right for him.”