Red Bull planning big upgrade for Turkey

"We have some developments that we tested in Spa last week and a significant upgrade coming for Turkey, with a few new elements on the car next weekend at the Nurburgring, as we try to get the most out of RB3 and try and get back to the front of that (midfield) group again," said team principal Christian Horner.

"I think it's going to be very tight all through the rest of the season as it is just so competitive in that group at the moment. Of course, it's not just down to us, as those other teams are also pushing their development forward."

Red Bull were one of the strongest teams in the midfield in recent races, but their last two outings have been disappointed, with the Austrian squad not having looked competitive enough.

The team have also been hit by continuous reliability issues.

Horner believes Red Bull, using Renault engines, will benefit from continuity next year, after having used three different engine suppliers in the last three seasons.

The team used Cosworth units in 2005, before moving to Ferrari for 2006 and to Renault this year.

"It might be something of an excuse but it's one with a major element of truth that we are working with a new engine partner and have a new electronics package this year," said Horner.

"Next year will be the first time in the short history of our team that we will have continuity of engine supply for more than one season and I expect that to be of tremendous benefit.

"We can all see the car's potential and our philosophy about going racing has changed here in that we are developing the car aggressively and that has required Herculean efforts from all areas of the company. The commitment demonstrated by everyone in the team has been hugely impressive.

"We don't have much to show for it at the moment, but with sustained effort and commitment, results will follow."

Red Bull have reviewed every aspect of their problematic seamless gearbox in order to get to the bottom of their reliability issues, and Horner admits the situation has been frustrating, with new problems appearing in the last race in Silverstone.

"Mechanically, the gearbox itself is fundamentally okay and the problems have stemmed from areas around it," he added. "Unfortunately, it has not been a case of dealing with just one issue to fix this problem. There have been several factors contributing to its lack of reliability this year.

"Every aspect of the gearbox has been reviewed and we are aware of the need to get on top of it quickly.

"For example, Mark (Webber)'s failure at Silverstone had never been seen before. It's frustrating when something like that comes along and bites you but we need to pre-empt these issues and ensure we have a reliable transmission for the second half of the year."