Ricciardo determined to secure best seat in 2019

Daniel Ricciardo believes his spectacular Chinese Grand Prix victory proved his credentials to earn a seat in Formula 1's "best car" as his Red Bull contract winds down. While his current employers attempt to secure Ricciardo's future, Mercedes and Ferrari are reportedly also keen to sign him.

Ricciardo surged from sixth to first in the space of 10 laps in Shanghai thanks to a smart soft-tyre strategy.

Team principal Christian Horner has routinely talked up the team's desire to keep the Australian, but Ricciardo is keen to keep his options open.

With Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton suffering up-and-down seasons at Mercedes and Kimi Raikkonen once again failing to push Sebastian Vettel, there should be no lack of top-level suitors if Ricciardo opts to leave the team he has won six grands prix with.

"I want to be with the best car. I think the weekend proved if I got the opportunity I can pull it off, Ricciardo told Australia's Channel 10.

"If we can win a few more now with Red Bull, that looks very attractive. If not, there's probably other options.

"Obviously the win helps but if we were finishing sixth every race this year, then that's not the most attractive option to me."

On Red Bull's title hopes in 2018, he added: "I think it's still too early to say yes. We won at the weekend but we need to win regularly to kind of show that.

"If we come out and win again in two weeks in Baku then I'll probably say yes."

Ricciardo has routinely dodged questions on his future beyond the end of the season, and he came up with a novel way of doing likewise once, again.

"I just want to go to the moon," was his response to another question on his preferred destination.

"I've been asked so many contract questions so I'm trying to find other ways to answer them."