Valtteri Bottas' flawless win on Sunday has added a third driver to the title mix, but Sebastian Vettel also wants Red Bull Racing to becomes a force to be reckoned with.
The Milton Keynes-based outfit, which was foreseen as Mercedes' main challenger before the season got underway, is clearly lagging both the German squad and Ferrari after four races.
But with a radical overhaul of its RB13 scheduled for Spain next week and a power unit upgrade pinpointed for Canada in June, many are hoping for Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen to upset the pecking order.
"I think it will be a very close race between Mercedes and us, I hope, and I also hope that Red Bull find some pace," Vettel said about the team which delivered his four world championships.
"There's a lot of rumours around [regarding the Red Bull update]. They are a strong team, they know how to build a quick car so I expect it's a question of when rather than if.
"But the sooner, the more exciting it will be for us.
"I'm confident that we have the right people, the right tools on board and we will make progress. It obviously depends on what others are doing."
Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner admitted that his team had its work cut out for it to catch - let alone - pass, the Silver Arrows and the Prancing Horse machines.
"We've given ourselves a lot to do but the whole team is focused on that and hopefully for the next race, we can start making progress," he said.
Gallery: All the action from Sunday in Sochi
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