Helmut Marko: Red Bull could catch Mercedes by mid-2017

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko reckons it could be midway through the 2017 Formula One season before his team can take the fight to Mercedes.

With new aerodynamic regulations being introduced ahead of this season, Red Bull has been tipped as the favourites to overhaul Mercedes' recent dominance of the sport and challenge for this year's title. The Milton Keynes-based outfit has most notably lagged behind Mercedes in engine power, although Renault made significant progress with its power unit over the course of last year.

Red Bull's hopes have been boosted further over the winter with Renault confident that it has extracted even more potential from its 2017 power unit, however, Marko…