Daniel Ricciardo has admitted that he hopes Renault push through a scheduled engine upgrade to get Red Bull back on track in 2017.
The Australian admitted that Red Bull's new chassis is also not yet a match for Mercedes and Ferrari, although his boss Christian Horner says that upgrades in China are "looking promising".
Ricciardo denied that the big problem with the Red Bull is the loss of a 'trick' suspension system.
"I don't think so," he said in Shanghai. "And the team doesn't think so.
"It seems to me, and I think it's true for Max [Verstappen] as well, that we can't attack the corners as aggressively as Ferrari and Mercedes can."
But he also said a major upgrade from Renault will help, even if the scheduled introduction date is not until June's Canadian grand prix.
"It would be nice if we get it at least the race before, but if we get it in Canada, we get it in Canada. But you always want to make it happen as soon as possible," Ricciardo added.
Red Bull sit third in the table with 10 points heading into the Chinese Grand Prix.
