Red Bull designer Adrian Newey is fully aware of Mercedes’ strength going into the 2015 season and has admitted the Silver Arrows’ rivals have some serious catching up to do if they are to be successful.

The 2014 campaign saw Mercedes dominate, with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg battling it out for the title in what became a two-horse race before the Englishman came out on top in the final race in Abu Dhabi to claim his second World Championship.

Now the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren – with their new engine deal with Honda – are looking to make the most of the off-season and significantly close the gap on Mercedes in 2015, with the season set to get underway on March in Australia.

Newey, who looks set to be designing his last car for Red Bull in 2015 after shaping the masterpiece which helped Sebastian Vettel secure four consecutive world titles, knows how tough it will be to narrow the gap on the Silver Arrows but feels the Milton Keynes-based outfit have a good balance in their car.

He told Sky Sports: “Can Renault and Ferrari get to Mercedes’ level? It’s going to be a very difficult challenge – and of course we don’t know where Honda are going to come in.

“With a slightly weaker engine but a superior chassis you can still win and vice versa.

“We have a reasonably even balance between engine and chassis – which, in my view, is how it should be.”