Max Verstappen has said that he must be patient amid Red Bull's push to catch top two Formula 1 teams Ferrari and Mercedes in 2017.

While some thought that the energy drink-owned team were bluffing in the winter, the Dutchman finished fifth in Australia as Red Bull admitted to both chassis and engine deficits.

Red Bull said that they are working on upgrades to debut in China and Bahrain, while improvements for the Renault power unit might take until May's Monaco Grand Prix to arrive.

"If it's frustrating to have to wait so long? That's how it is," Verstappen is quoted as saying by Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. "I can't change anything about it.

"The gap is big, so we'll have to work hard."

Verstappen said that one bright spot is that the new-generation 2017 cars are more enjoyable to drive, but he joined those worrying that overtaking will be particularly rare this year.

One count showed there were just five passes during the Australian Grand Prix, down from two dozen in 2016.

"The cars have become more fun to drive," said Verstappen. "But [Melbourne] wasn't very exciting. I could have made two extra pitstops without endangering my position."

Verstappen also told the Dutch broadcaster Ziggo Sport Totaal: "I'm not really frustrated because already during the winter I noticed that the car is not quite perfect.

"The most positive thing about the [Melbourne] weekend? The weather."

The championship continues in Shanghai in two weeks' time.