It was pretty much a status quo at the top of the timesheets in Barcelona this week compared with where 2016 ended, with Mercedes’ Silver Arrows still leading the pack.

But for the Milton Keynes outfit to catch up with its dominant rival, it will mostly have to rely on  engine partner Renault to do the work. And Verstappen is confidant the French manufacturer will step up to the challenge.

“For sure they (Mercedes) still will have an advantage over us in the beginning of the season, power-wise, but I think we are definitely catching up,” said the 19-year-old Dutch prodigy.

Red Bull’s workload at the Circuit de Catalunya focused mainly on reliability and car discovery, but updates are already in the works for next week, according to Verstappen.

“I think for sure the most important thing for us was trying and make mileage and seeing if all the parts were holding on. I think everything has been behaving pretty well.

“I think for us it was very positive. We’ve done quite a bit of mileage and also for me to get used to the car and also the whole team to understand the new type of car. I think we did a good job.”

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