Australian Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo says he can win a world championship with the right car.
Speaking ahead of the Italian grand prix in Monza, Ricciardo concedes a 2017 world championship is a "long shot", but is adamant he can compete with title contenders Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.
"I felt that since 2014, I felt that if I was in a Mercedes I could have won, and last year as well, two kinda key years," the 28-year-old told ESPN in Milan.
Ricciardo has pushed his Red Bull to five third place finishes and a win at the Azerbaijan grand prix in 2017 to be fourth in the drivers standings on 132 points.
Four-time world champion Vettel leads on 220 from three-time champion Hamilton on 213.
"I look at Lewis and Seb and these other guys as being also at the top, but I don't see them being better than me, or than Max (Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen). I think we could run with them, absolutely."
Ricciardo is yet to finish on the podium at the famous Monza circuit, and is likely to be chasing Vettel's Ferrari and the Mercedes of Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.
Finland's Bottas is third in the championship and Ricciardo has performed well to stay in touch with the three leaders and remain ahead of 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen.
The popular Australian remains hopeful Red Bull can push hard in the second half of the season and build towards a big year in 2018.
"Ideally we start putting ourselves in a winning position more consistently the last part of the season, then we can go into '18 with the confidence we can finally get back on that world title trail."
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