Max Verstappen is not getting carried away with talk that Toro Rosso could beat the premier Red Bull team in 2016.

With the junior Faenza squad switching to Ferrari power but Red Bull Racing staying with Renault this year, it is suggested that Toro Rosso could be higher on the grid.

"At the start of the year, yes," said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.

Toro Rosso's 18-year-old driver Verstappen, however, is keeping his expectations in check.

"Normally, Red Bull should be ahead of us," the Dutchman told his official website verstappen.nl.

"Red Bull still has one of the best cars. For sure, at the end of last year, they were quicker than we were, so I think that they are still capable of being fast again," Verstappen added. "But it is hard to say because they have a different package and also a different engine."

He is therefore wary that, no matter how the year starts, Toro Rosso could ultimately be overtaken as its late 2015-spec Ferrari engine is out-developed by rivals.

"That is a possibility, I guess," said Verstappen. "We have an engine that is not developed any further as opposed to most of the teams that have developed theirs.

"It's a pity, but we certainly need to seize every moment we can in the first couple of races."

The 2016 Formula 1 calendar gets underway in Australia on March 20.