Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes that it would be foolish to neglect the threat that Ferrari will pose during the upcoming season.

Ferrari have had a number of problems during pre-season and as a result face a race against time to be ready for next weekend's season opener in Melbourne.

However, Horner is adamant that the Italian team can be involved in the title mix this year.

"They've got a great team," Horner told Sky Sports News. "They haven't fully shown their hand yet. I think they're more competitive than people believe they are.

"I'm sure the car looks a handful but sometimes a difficult car can be a quick car so it would be foolish to write off Fernando Alonso going into Melbourne."

Red Bull will begin the new season as reigning champions.