Formula 1 defending champion Max Verstappen downplayed Red Bull's chances at Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix, saying the car is slower than their rivals and still working through some issues.

Liam Lawson was knocked out of qualifying in his first session as a senior Red Bull driver, having been off the pace all weekend. The Kiwi driver only set the 16th and 17th fastest times in FP1 and FP2 before being kept off the track for most of FP3 with a power unit issue,