McLaren wants to get closer to the top three teams in 2020, according to team boss Andreas Seidl.
After the horror Honda era, the now Renault-powered team is regularly the best behind Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull in 2019.
"I believe that we are now seeing the trend in the last three or four races that we have clearly the fourth strongest car," Seidl said after Suzuka.
"We are in a good place," he added.
However, Seidl said McLaren's ambitions do not end with beating Renault to fourth in the constructors' championship ahead of Renault.
"Our goal is clear - we want to take the next step next year," he said.
"So we hope to go somewhere between the position we are in now and the three best teams. That would be the next great achievement for us as a team."
