Renault are making strong progress with the development of their 2019 power unit according to McLaren's Zak Brown.
Renault, which will supply its own works team and customer McLaren following the loss of Red Bull, which will switch to Honda next season bringing it in line with sister team Toro Rosso, has fallen back compared to rival manufacturers Ferrari and Mercedes and arguably Honda.
But Brown has said initial data from the French manufacturer is showing strong gains and Renault believe they will be in a much stronger position next year.
"They are telling us that they are very pleased with their winter progress," Brown is quoted as saying by Autosport. "They have found a lot of kilowatts, and think they will be in the ballpark.
"It is not appropriate for me to quote the numbers they have given us, but I think they feel they are going to be very competitive next year."
Brown isn't getting carried away by the claims – as the team have done in the past – but remains confident McLaren are headed in the right direction following several tough seasons.
"There is a lot of cautious optimism, but we clearly don't want to get ahead of ourselves," he added. "We have done that before and we are not going to make the same mistake twice.
"Development is going well, and we are on track with what we are wanting to achieve, but obviously we have no idea where the competition is, other than speculating.
"We are pleased with the progress we have made. We have done things differently, everyone is working well together, so it feels like a more quiet confidence.
"But we are on our toes. We know this is an important year for us to show progress and that comes with some exciting nervous energy."
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