Daniel Ricciardo has revealed that Renault has taken improvements for its 2017 power unit to Baku.
The news comes despite Renault chief Cyril Abiteboul saying recently that there will in fact be no more major upgrades until 2018.
Red Bull’s Ricciardo said: "It’s not the upgrade that has been talked about, but it should help us. And we’ll take whatever we can get."
In recent days and weeks, there have been cries of frustration about the Red Bull-Renault situation, but Ricciardo says the team has been improving the car.
As for the engine situation, the Australian added: "It’s not as bad as it might seem from the outside.
"Of course, we would welcome a big upgrade - it would be fantastic to get a second a lap - but it is clear that this is unlikely to happen.
"But until the last race in Abu Dhabi, we will get various upgrades," he said.
Also clear, however, is that Renault is already focused on 2018, and the works team’s driver Nico Hulkenberg said there is plenty to do.
"The gap to the top is significant and we need a lot of performance," said the German.