Max Verstappen: F1 rivals warned about flying Dutchman's 2018 title prospects

That’s the word from the Milton Keynes outfit's team principal Christian Horner.

The 20-year-old comes into his second full season with Red Bull after his first with the energy drinks company’s senior team was derailed by reliability issues.

Seven DNFs, of which four were due to engine problems, left Verstappen in sixth in the final standings - though he won two of the final six races to finish 2017 strongly.

But Red Bull are being tipped to take the fight to world champions Mercedes and rivals  this season, which begins in Australia this weekend, despite last year's issues with their Renault power units.

If they live up to expectation then Verstappen, who is viewed as a sure-fire title contender over the course of his career, could challenge Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel at the front of the grid, Horner has suggested.

He told reporters after the first practice session of the Australian Grand Prix: “Max has achieved a huge amount in a very short space of time. 

“He’s got that benefit of those three seasons of experience now and I think he’ll put that to good effect this year. 

“He’s already got that data bank of knowledge. 

“Last year what impressed me was how he dealt with the difficult days as well as the good days. 

“I think that’s all part of developing your character, developing your experience and knowledge. It puts him in great stead. 

“I think there’s no further obstacles to him in terms of experience. He’s gone through that now and he’s in great shape. 

“He’s trained hard over the winter and looks sharp for the season ahead.”

The Dutchman signed a new contract with Red Bull back in October to extend his stay with the four-time champions to 2020.