Red Bull are targeting race victories later in 2017, according to team official Dr Helmut Marko.
The energy drink company will host the F1 circus at the Red Bull Ring for July's Austrian Grand Prix, and Marko said that the RB13 could be ready to win by then.
"The basic concept of the car is right," he told newspaper Salzburger Nachrichten, even though Ferrari and Mercedes were clearly faster in Australia.
"We believe we know the area in which we need to work on the chassis."
He said that car improvements are even ready for this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix, even though a clearly better Renault engine will have to wait until Montreal in June.
"But in the course of the next races, there should be considerable further chassis developments," he said.
Marko added that a lighter Renault power unit is at least coming two races earlier than Montreal, in Barcelona next month.
"A big update from Renault is only planned for Canada, but we will have a version that is slightly lighter and can be driven in a higher mode for a longer time," he explained.
"This makes us optimistic that we might be able to take the lead by Austria."
Red Bull sit third in the constructors' standings heading into this weekend's race.
