Hamilton: Red Bull ridiculously fast

MARK WEBBER has had his hopes of becoming the first Australian to win his home F1 grand prix next weekend pumped up by McLaren rival Lewis Hamilton.

Britain's 2008 world champion said before heading to Melbourne that Red Bull's Webber and Sebastian Vettel undoubtedly had the quickest cars on the track.

"The Red Bull is ridiculously faster than anyone else's car," he told reporters. "It's insane." Vettel qualified on pole at this month's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, more than a second a lap faster than Hamilton, and then led for more than two thirds of the race before being slowed by a faulty spark plug.

Hamilton ended up third while Vettel finished fourth. Webber, winner of two races last year, made an error in qualifying and ended the race in eighth place.

Renault-powered Red Bull arrive in Melbourne chasing their 4th win in 5 races, having won the last three of 2009.

"They (Webber and Vettel) have both got the fastest car by quite a big step. They should be quite a lot further ahead in general," said Hamilton.

"We are kind of on the same level as Mercedes I would say," added the 25-year-old of seven times world champion Michael Schumacher's new team.After a dull opener in Bahrain, with Vettel's misfortune handing Ferrari a processional one-two led by Alonso, Hamilton hoped for some genuine thrills at Albert Park next weekend.

"You've got assume that the next race will be more exciting," he said.Reuters