Renault F1 managing director Cyril Abiteboul claims 2019 must be the year his team closes the gap to the top three at the front.
The French manufacturer has been big strides in recent years, moving up from the back of the grid in 2016 to finishing fourth in the Constructors' Championship last year.
However, 2018 fell short of expectations for in-season development and left the team still battling in the midfield, something he feels must change this year.
"Yes, the RS19 made a good start, and in addition, he [Daniel Ricciardo] comes to us with a recent past that is quite exceptional. We all agree that Red Bull is a benchmark," he told France's TF1.
"We have had a handicap on the engine side for too many seasons now. So this must be the season when we join the best, and I think we have the means to match this ambition."
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Ahead of testing, indications were of this being Renault's best winter in terms of progress in both engine and aero although the expectation is they still face a tough task to shake off their midfield rivals.
“We were third in the testing kilometres and nothing is fundamentally wrong with the car,” Abiteboul told Auto Motor und Sport.
“We are closer to the top than before [but], in our estimation, there is practically nothing between us, Toro Rosso, Haas, Alfa Romeo and McLaren. Red Bull is still a mystery to us.”
