As the Red Bull juggernaut relentlessly continues on its way, Mercedes and Ferrari team bosses admit that it is up to them to catch up and not the Austrian team to be handicapped.

Just two races in and it is looking ominously familiar, Max Verstappen leading home the nearest non-Red Bull car by 25s in Bahrain and 18s in Jeddah.

Even the sorry saga that has haunted the team for the last month - and continues to do so - has not derailed the Red Bull steamroller, leading some to claim that unless the Austrian outfit's domination is brought to an end interest in the sport will be compromised.

Aside from his claim that he likes a bowl of Coco Pops before bed, Christian Horner's insistence that Mercedes (and Ferrari) "fix their f****** cars" would seem to be the order of the day, and both Toto Wolff and Fred Vasseur agree, admitting that it is up to them to improve rather than have the rules changed in order to handicap their rival.

"I don't want to fall in the trap of my fellow team principal from next door who said in 2014 and 2015 that we should change the regulations because it is too dominant," says Wolff. "I think they have done by far the best job of all the teams over the last two years, and credit where credit is due.

"They are literally disappearing in the distance as they want and no one else is close," he admits. "They had Ferrari and Leclerc a little bit, and if Sainz had been here they would have been second best on the road. But there is not this huge performance differential to everyone that follows depending on the track, they are just in a different league.

"Our sport is an honest sport and the best performance is being rewarded from car, machine and man."

"If we are able to have the same improvement as we had last year, it's encouraging," adds Vasseur. "I'm focused on the team," he continues, "I'm focused on the fact that we have to develop the car and even if one weekend we are in front of Red Bull, I will keep the same approach, try to do a better job the week after.

"You know, that it's not because that we are P1... P2... P3 that you have to stop or to develop more, that we are full push and we will continue with the same approach.

"I can't say that it's out of my scope, but the fact that it's interesting or not, that we are just fully focused on the fact that we have to catch up, that it's clear that they have an advantage, and I don't want to bulls**t someone, or bulls**t I'm not allowed, that I will go to the Stewards next week.

"But it's clear that they have still an advantage on us and that we have to continue to develop and to push, but I think it's a clear step forward today. It was already a good signal last week in Bahrain. It's a clear step forward today and it's very encouraging for everybody and it's the best way to get everybody fully motivated."