Renault are making positive noises over their 2016 gains according to Red Bull team manager Jonathan Wheatley, though he warned they will still be some way off Mercedes.
The French manufacturer is playing catch up after failing to make up much ground in 2015, whilst also reliability suffered.
With Red Bull sticking with Renault in '16, although branded as Tag Heuer, they are keen to see improvements and Wheatley is expecting gains given what he's been told by Renault.
"There's some very good news coming out of France at the moment," Wheatley told GPUpdate. "It's not going to be extraordinary, but they've made some gains – it's very positive.
"I think that's probably where we are at the moment. Is it going to be on the same level as the other [leading] power units in 2016? I think that's probably unlikely. But we only need to get close."
Meanwhile the team itself, despite months of uncertainty over its engine supply and indeed its future in Formula 1, is "well ahead of schedule" with its 2016 car according to Wheatley.
"It's been a challenge, but I think if there's any team capable of dealing with that it's us. The guys have done a fabulous job in the factory – amazing work over Christmas. Everything feels pretty much under control. We know what we're going to get and when we're going to get it.
"We were lucky in that the power unit that we ended up with [Renault] was the one that we knew very well, so the packaging [of the car] has been relatively straightforward in that respect. I was sat with the chief designer recently and things are well ahead of schedule."
