Daniel Ricciardo says his Red Bull will get even quicker before next month's season-opening Australian Formula One Grand Prix.
On Saturday Ricciardo bounced back from a forgettable first practice session in Barcelona to top the timesheets, with his time of 1m24.574s edging out the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen.
Ricciardo says the outfit has now found the extra speed which had been missing.
"It's definitely got some more ponies," Ricciardo said.
"We knew it would, it was just always a question of how much more would it have compared to the Merc from last year and can we close that gap?
"Through the speed traps we're still not as fast but I think there's still a little bit more to come. So realistically if we've closed that gap by half I think we'll take that for now and try to keep plugging away at it."
The Australian is upbeat about both the pace and the reliability of the Red Bull.
With just two days of running left before the first race in Melbourne, Ricciardo says this test will define positions at Albert Park.
"Obviously I'm excited and can't wait to go there and start racing but the last test will definitely be the most important of them all," he said.
"I think that's when everyone will put as much as they can on the car and really see what it's all about. So we'll get a few more days back here next week and then head to Melbourne and hopefully be in good shape."
Meanwhile, world champion Lewis Hamilton has made a surprise return to the track after missing much of Friday's practice with a fever.
Hamilton replaced teammate Nico Rosberg, who is suffering from a neck injury, for the afternoon session and didn't waste any time as he reeled off 89 laps, posting a fastest time of 1m24.923s.
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