Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn feels podium finishes should be a "certainty" for the Brackley squad this year.
After claiming three P3s through Nico Rosberg during the 2010 season, the team failed to make it onto the podium last year with the best result a fourth-place finish from Michael Schumacher in Canada.
The team, though, are confident that their 2012 challenger, the W03, will help them to take a big step forward this year.
Brawn admits their main aim will be to return to the top three while a race victory would be a bonus.
"A win would be the real icing on the cake, but podiums have got to be a certainty for us," he told the James Allen on F1 podcast.
"I say certainty not in an arrogant sense, but with what our objectives are for this year.
"When you getting on the podiums things can happen, either on merit or otherwise. You get a race with some difficult weather conditions and you made the right calls and suddenly it falls in place."
Despite the optimism in the camp, Brawn knows that they still have a long way to go before they can challenge pacesetters Red Bull.
"We are far from where we want to be, but the team is starting to feel more confident and the team has a positive buzz around," he said.
He added: "It will be too optimistic to think we will reach the level of Red Bull in a performance sense but can we run better races. Can our drivers have better races? I don't know.
"That dynamic could evolve during the year. If you had asked me if we have a faster car than Red Bull then no, but we are getting better. Does that mean we have a chance? I am always optimistic. I have a good feeling about what is developing."
