After two-straight podiums finishes, Daniel Ricciardo has momentum towards a first Formula One victory of the season at this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix.
But the Australian's recent record in Montreal - despite claiming his maiden F1 career win there in 2014 - bodes against him upsetting Lewis Hamilton who's gunning for his third Canadian GP title in a row.
The pace and pit-stop issues present for Red Bull driver Ricciardo's entire career led to him claiming seventh in Montreal last year and 13th in 2015.
But last-start third-places in Spain and Monaco after a slow beginning to the year have given him hope.
"I feel like we're starting to get a bit of momentum and get things flowing in the right direction, now we've had back-to-back podiums," Ricciardo told Fox Sports.
"I think we're really starting to figure out the car and it's strengths and weaknesses and we're starting to exploit that now. It's getting there.
"It's been a slower start than we would have liked, but I have faith now that it's going to get better and better."
Mercedes star Hamilton, second in the world title race, is favourite to take out Sunday's race.
Ricciardo rates Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel a strong chance to maintain his championship lead for the rest of the season.
Red Bull, however, have long been hampered by their Renault engine, and pressure for them to build their own engine is continuing to mount.
Ricciardo has defended the French manufacturer, lamenting mistakes from his own team to explain the gulf between him and title leaders.
"From the engine side, I don't feel like we've gone backwards," he said.
"This year, I feel like we're as strong as we were last year. For sure, we want to get better but why we had a slow start to the season wasn't necessarily all on them (Renault).
"It was from a car point-of-view as well. We didn't quite get, it seems like, the fundamentals with the chassis and everything.
"I would love more from both sides, but it's not through a lack of effort."
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