Renault’s power unit is now on a par with that of Ferrari but the French manufacturer may have to wait until 2018 to match Mercedes’ all-conquering V6, according to technical chief Bob Bell.

Renault endured a nightmare start to the turbo/hybrid era after enjoying phenomenal success with Red Bull, lagging well behind its rivals both in terms of horsepower and reliability.

However, it upped its game considerably in 2016 upon its fully-fledged return as a manufacturer, powering the Bulls’ charge to second in the championship.

Asked by Motorsport.com where the power unit lies in the pecking order, Bell said: “It’s certainly behind Mercedes, there or thereabouts with Ferrari, maybe slightly off but not by much.

“Renault has closed the gap to Mercedes. You only have to look at Red Bull’s performance last year, they’ve been able to take the fight to Mercedes on many occasions.

“If nothing else that indicates not only a very good chassis but the engine has moved on a lot.”

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While the Briton was reluctant to make any explicit predictions ahead of the new season, he expressed his confidence that Renault will soon be able to rival Mercedes in the engine department.

“We have to close that gap and we’ll make another step over winter,” he said. “But whether that will see complete closure or not, you just can’t tell. There’s no way of knowing.

“We believe we can [catch them], given time. It might possibly not be this winter but certainly by the end of next year and into 2018, we ought to be right on it.”

Renault is set for another year battling in the midfield in 2017, though it should be able to compete for points on a more regular basis having mustered just three top 10 finishes last term.