Max Verstappen says Red Bull can improve in lots of areas after finishing fifth at the Australian Grand Prix, though he was "surprised" and encouraged by how close he was to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen in the closing stages.
Verstappen spent most of his race stuck between the Ferrari-Mercedes battle in front and the midfield pack behind. That pace confirmed Red Bull's belief it is currently off the pace of the lead pack, something which has become abundantly clear during the opening weekend of the season in Melbourne.
At his one and only pit stop Verstappen took on the super-soft tyre, a contrast to the four cars ahead who took the soft tyre, and used them to close the gap to Kimi Raikkonen in the closing stages.