Daniel Ricciardo expects reigning champions Mercedes to continue to dominate Formula One in the opening rounds of the 2016 season.
Mercedes made an ominous start to pre-season testing, completing over ten race distances in the opening week while opting not to show its true performance on any of the four days.
Asked what he thought of Mercedes start to the 2016 season, Ricciardo told ESPN: "They did it last year, their reliability was really good and it's sort of like saying 'we've got all the power and we're just going to run laps because we can!' But good on them because obviously they are in a good place and again we expected it.
"I 100 percent would not be surprised if they get a one-two, not only in Melbourne but at the first four races.
"Sure you want to see your competitors struggle or you want to see that you're close to them, but in my eyes they are not really our target right now and I don't expect to be on their level in the first few races, so we're not even looking at them. Hopefully we can get a proper look at them as the season goes on."
Ricciardo is hoping his Red Bull is good enough just to make the top seven places in Australia.
"Mercedes and Ferrari are the teams with the targets on them at the moment, so that's the top four and then Williams is fifth and sixth, but we should be around Williams or just behind them.
"But there are a lot of unknowns. Force India look pretty good and Toro Rosso on paper should be pretty good as well. I don't want to say we are going to be tenth at the first race, because I'd like to think we will be better, but top seven is the target."
Ricciardo said Red Bull would start to make progress in the European season.
"If we can get to Melbourne with a good set of tests and just get through the first few races solid, top six or top seven, then we can come to the European season and that's when a team like Red Bull starts to put everything into it. Then we should start to get close to the podium."