Max Verstappen has fired a warning to his 2020 title rivals Sebastian Vettel, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
Verstappen believes Red Bull will be ready to launch a title challenge next year.
Mercedes claimed their sixth consecutive Constructors’ Championship in Japan last weekend and Verstappen believes Red Bull hopes to close the gap on next year.
"We've not improved as much as we would have liked but then when you compare us to Mercedes it's not like we are massively off,” Verstappen told Yahoo Sport. “But we definitely haven't improved compared to Ferrari. We just need to keep working hard to try and improve and try to learn for next year as well, and from the engine side, we can still do a better job. Everyone knows that. It's not a secret, and we all want that.
"It's not that now I have said it, everyone in the team is shocked. Everybody has that same desire to improve. Of course, I didn't expect to fight for the Championship this year. It's not a realistic target when you work with a new partner unless it's a proven partner over a long period of time. We have been very much in a building phase together to try and maximise the potential. We have seen glimpses of it so now it's about trying to put it all together for next year."