2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton claims that the Red Bull is the fastest car this season, indeed, the Englishman says the RB6 is "ridiculously fast".

"The Red Bull is ridiculously faster than anyone else's car," the McLaren driver told reporters. "It's insane. The downforce they had on their car last year was at some points just about double what we had. Even at the end of the year they had so much more than us, even though we had won a couple of Grands Prix."

Certainly, Sebastian Vettel looked to have the season opener in Bahrain wrapped up last week, having stormed to pole and subsequently eased away at the start of the race. However, spark plug failure 15 laps from the end of the race saw the German slip back to fourth with teammate Mark Webber finishing eighth behind Hamilton's teammate Jenson Button.

"They have both got the fastest car by quite a big step," Hamilton continued. They should be quite a lot further ahead in general. Fernando I think was very quick in the race and they are obviously a little bit closer, but it's a good half second.

"We are kind of on the same level as Mercedes I would say," he added. "We just did maybe a better job at the weekend but it's a battle between us and Mercedes to see who can step up and improve faster and do a better job. Red Bull might have the fastest car, but if we can beat them on reliability."

With the sport still reeling from widespread criticism, the result of a processional race that saw the order of the leading ten drivers barely change during the entire course of the 49 laps, Hamilton - like the rest of us - is hoping for a better show down under.

"You've got assume that the next race will be more exciting," he said. "There will be more people there, there should be more of an atmosphere in Australia as there always is. The track should be more favourable to the cars, it is a street circuit so it's not the easiest place to overtake but it should be more exciting."