Red Bull performance is 'desperately frustrating', says team boss Christian Horner

 • Max Verstappen had a second DNF in Australia, the third race of the season. • Red Bull boss Christian Horner is furious at the growing gap led by Ferrari. • Horner says he'd rather fix a fast car than make a reliable one fast.

World champion Max Verstappen's second retirement in three races has left Red Bull on the back foot in the Formula One championship - and team principal Christian Horner fuming at the growing gap with Ferrari.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc won the Australian Grand Prix at a canter, crossing more than 20 seconds ahead of Red Bull's runner-up Sergio Perez, while Verstappen's car ground to a halt with nearly 20 laps to race.

Red Bull has now racked up three retirements in the first three races, with both Verstappen and Perez failing to finish the season-opener in Bahrain.READ | 'Today was a bad day' - Verstappen says failure to finish Australian GP is 'unacceptable'

Ferrari are 39 points clear of second-placed Mercedes in the constructors championship, with Red Bull a further 10 points adrift.

Heartbreak for Max Verstappen in Australia ??An podium opportunity missed for the Dutchman after a strong showing ended prematurely with a car problem ??#AusGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/DXeOAe1r4X

"Desperately frustrating. I think as Max said, we didn't have the pace to race Charles, they were in a league of their own," said Horner.

"But frustrating not to be bagging those points.

"We can't accept DNFs (did not finish) but we need to understand what the issue is and address it."

Red Bull blamed a fuel system problem for the retirements in Bahrain, and Horner suspected Verstappen's failure in Melbourne might also be fuel-related.

More concerning was the car's performance gap versus Ferrari, which has taken Red Bull by