Red Bull is confident it has finally regained the downforce it lost as a result of changes to nose and floor regulations over the winter.
Last year Red Bull had scored two victories by the summer break, but this year it has only scraped two podiums together - both at the last round in Hungary. The team has loaded much of the blame on engine supplier Renault, but it also saw its performance curtailed by changes to the regulations between 2014 and 2015, including new nose and floor regulations, and it was not until the Spanish Grand Prix that Red Bull managed to pass crash tests with its intended nose design for 2015.
As a result, the drivers have reported that RB11 has not been as well balanced as its predecessor and has lost its prowess in high-speed corners relative to the competition. However, following the double podium result in Hungary, Horner is confident his team has regained its lost downforce and is back on track.
"I think that definitely the aero boys have made some improvements around the front of the car," Horner said. "Mechanically there's been a bit of an improvement as well. I think that the penalty of the regulation changes over the winter actually did hurt us with the front end of the car, but I think we've now recovered that. I think the last two/three races have been pretty positive on the chassis side."
Horner admits the next two races at the high-speed tracks of Spa and Monza will not play to Red Bull's strengths, but believes the team is still making progress.
"They're going to be much more challenging than here and Singapore is probably our next opportunity to shine. We're going to keep pushing, keep developing with the car. You never know, it could be wet in Spa. You've got to be in a position on those days when it doesn't go right for others."