Red Bull pins hopes on 'brand-new' Renault engine

Christian Horner believes Red Bull can give Mercedes "a hard time" this season if Renault's new power unit delivers a clear step forward in performance.

Renault struggled with its power unit in 2015, leading Red Bull to seek a new engine partner before having to remain with the French manufacturer last year. 2016 saw a clear improvement, however, and Horner says Renault has worked on a completely new concept for the coming season that could allow Red Bull to take the fight to Mercedes.

"It's a brand-new engine for this year, a change of philosophy," Horner said. "They've had a big winter; we're hoping for a step in performance and if that's delivered then hopefully we can really be a challenger team this year and give the Mercedes and Ferraris a hard time.

"Mercedes for sure, they're the world champions – triple world champions – they're the team to beat. They set the bar pretty high but that's what we're aspiring to. Hopefully we can be a real challenger team. I think the driver line-up we have is fantastic, we've had great stability in the team and we're excited about the year ahead."

Having won two races in 2016, Horner says Red Bull's progress last year has led to increased expectations during the off-season.

"Well, we went into the winter on a real high. Momentum definitely built during the course of last year. We developed the car well, we raced well, strategically we were strong. It's also a clean sheet of paper and that for any designer or engineer is a really exciting challenge. A few years ago, in 2009, there was a double diffuser. Is there a gizmo like that we've missed and somebody else has found? Hopefully not and hopefully we will be competitive."

In terms of the new car, Horner can only judge it on its looks at this stage but is excited by what Red Bull's technical team has managed to produce.

"I think RB13 is one of the prettiest cars that we've designed and made because the geometry of the car under these new regulations and proportions looks right. It looks mean, it looks fast. There's the old adage that, 'If it looks right it tends to go all right,' and this car for sure looks right."