Renault managing director Cyril Abiteboul says the company must discover why its results on the dyno are not being transformed into success on-track.
Renault, which supplies Red Bull and Toro Rosso, has endured a problematic start to 2015, having encountered performance issues, which have been exacerbated by reliability concerns.
Abiteboul believes that Red Bull's success between 2010 and 2013 may have masked problems in the development process, which are only now coming to light.
"On the dyno the engines are reliable, but when we come on track they are not," Abiteboul told the Official F1 website.
"Obviously there is something wrong in our validation process, from dyno to track. There is something we need to investigate. It's just like aerodynamics, when the wind tunnel is not telling the truth; it's exactly the same in the engine world.
"Maybe we flattered ourselves on the back of very good results with Red Bull for years, to think that we are controlling everything. But maybe there was some form of beast in the shadows, hiding. And we need to hide that beast now."