Red Bull have dominated the season so far, with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez sharing four 1-2 runs, only to miss another in Australia, with the Mexican at the Problems encountered in qualifying saw him recover to fifth.

Horner said Red Bull had made “the progress you’d expect” from the 2022 model year to this year’s car, while rivals – mainly traditional frontrunners Ferrari and Mercedes – had failed to keep up.

“You can never write off anybody,” Horner said. “And I think it’s the best start we’ve had.

“We feel like we’ve made a good step from RB18 into 19, but the kind of step you’d expect, I think it’s more about feeling like the other guys have lost the edge.

“I’m sure they’re working on it. Such a huge gain could come soon.”

However, Horner warned that rivals could still catch up and the next race at Imola will see most teams go through a round of upgrades.

“Other companies may have underdelivered compared to last year, which I think surprised us,” he noted.

“But there’s no doubt they’ll be looking to fix that. I’m sure we’ll see big updates starting to come in, starting with Imola.

“We have a great car, we have a great team, we have two great drivers. But there is still a long way to go. Let’s reserve judgment until we see Imola and Barcelona the result of.”

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB19, battles for the lead with Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19

Photography: Michael Potts / motorsport pictures

Verstappen stressed that the team mainly benefits from excellent long-term performances, with Ferrari often showing good pace in qualifying.

“I think we have a considerable advantage, especially in the game,” said the Dutchman.

“I think after a lap on some tracks there are definitely some cars that are close or in front, like you saw in Baku.

“I think the speed advantage of the game is pretty big at the moment. But it’s not like someone else is bringing something new and we’re just stagnant. So hopefully we can keep it like we are now.”