Nico Hulkenberg says a couple of years will be necessary before to set himself and Renault up for a run at the world title.
The German driver switched from Force India to the works French team as he banks on a return of the manufacturer to its former F1 glory days.
"Renault has proved in the past what they can do," Hulkenberg told Germany's Sport Bild.
"They have become world champions several times so when the project was presented to me, it was a clear decision to take."
Renault will seek to move up the grid this season, although Hulkenberg has already warned that scoring points consistently is a tall order, let alone winning.
"What can I do? Turn this project into a success story," he insisted.
"This year we can't expect miracles, and anyone who does fails to understand this sport. But I hope that we can be at the front of the midfield this year, and from 2019 - in two or three years - I want to be ready for the title."
If the 29-year-old German doesn't score a podium finish by Monza in September, he shall surpass Adrian Sutil as the most experienced F1 driver in history never to achieve a top 3 finish.
Looking back upon the shock retirement of Nico Rosberg at the end of last year, Hulkenberg has no regrets about signing with Renault, a decision which took place long before the reigning world champion decided to walk away from Mercedes and F1.
"I would lie if I said Mercedes would not be tempting, but the timing made it simply not realistic this time. I had signed a long-term agreement with Renault.
"I also want to build something here," Hulkenberg added.
"This is a huge challenge for me. I want to fight here and build it up rather than just go into an established team like Mercedes.
"I regret nothing," he concluded.
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