Lacey came after Max Verstappen led Red Bull 1-2 in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, beating Sergio Perez while Mercedes finished fifth and seventh. Hall said he expected the Milton Keynes team to “win every race this season”.

But Mercedes has improved significantly in Australia after practicing improving suspension settings to make up for time lost to poor correlation between computer simulations and the car’s actual handling.

Russell and Lewis Hamilton, second and third behind Verstappen, both enjoyed race-leading spells, but a power unit failure knocked out Hamilton as he finished second.

While Red Bull wasn’t as dominant as it was in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Mercedes was stronger in Melbourne, prompting Russell to reassess his comments that the reigning constructors’ champion would win every race.

He said of his initial statement: “Obviously after a frustrating qualifying session, like the one we had in Bahrain, you said something in the heat of the moment.

“I still think Red Bull are ahead of everyone else, and for sure Lewis and I got the most out of it (in Australia on Saturday).

“Based on what Max was saying, there might still be something in the locker (for the Red Bull).

“We’re talking three tenths, a little bit. Usually, they’re one second ahead. Now, they’re three tenths. That’s still a huge number in the F1 world.”

George Russell, Mercedes-AMG

Photography: Steve Etherington/ motorsport pictures

Russell spoke of the wind tunnel data revealed by Mercedes’ upcoming upgrades, although they won’t be unveiled until the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in late May at the earliest.

The team is also further improving the car’s mechanical components to improve the confidence of both drivers in the handling.

Russell reckons these steps forward will cause him to “reassess” whether Mercedes can take on Red Bull.

Asked if he had changed his mind about the Red Bull sweep, Russell said: “We’re not going to give up, we’re going to keep going.

“Now, when we do some upgrades to the car, we’re going to have to reassess (the claim).

“That would be the first time we really know if they work as we expect them to, and if we can fight them. But yeah, why not.”