MONTMELO, Spain -- Max Verstappen is convinced Red Bull is more competitive now than it was 12 months ago, but he is refusing to judge where it will be in the pecking order come the Australian Grand Prix.
Verstappen enjoyed a productive day as winter testing resumed in Barcelona on Tuesday, clocking 130 laps in the Red Bull RB14. Despite a late stoppage 90 minutes from the end of the day, the team was able to make up for a lot of the ground lost during a problematic Friday last week.
"We did a lot of laps, that was very important to get the mileage on the car," Verstappen said after the session. "A good day ... [We had] a small battery problem so we had to change that. It always takes a little time, but afterwards was all good again."
The weather-affected first test meant teams are still down on mileage compared to this time last year, with the second test usually when drivers start exploring the performance limits of their cars. Verstappen finished 0.2s off Sebastian Vettel's lead time, on the same compound, but says it is too early to jump to any conclusions given the limited running so far.
When asked if Red Bull is stronger this year than it was at the start of 2017, when it was clear going to the Australian Grand Prix it was third in the pecking order behind Mercedes and Ferrari, he said: "Absolutely.
He added: "Difficult to say because of the new tarmac, it really changes the whole car, the whole way of driving, also with the new tyres. it feels alright, the car is definitely faster than last year. So that is positive.
[The feeling is] all good but we still don't know what the others are doing, so we have to wait for Melbourne and see how good or bad we are."
Verstappen refused to give much more away in the media pen, telling reporters to "keep your eyes open" when questioned about whether Red Bull has a big upgrade planned for the Melbourne race on March 25.