"Between the three of us, we have eight world titles!" It's a joke Daniel Ricciardo has made more than once, seated beside four-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and four-time champion Sebastian Vettel. It's funny, even the second time around, but belies an unpleasant truth for Ricciardo: he has racked up five wins, 22 additional podium finishes, and one pole position since moving to Red Bull Racing in 2014, but is yet to have a shot at the title.

The Australian has made no secret about his wish for this to change sooner rather than later, with 2018 his final season on a multi-year, and the first time he can consider a future outside the Red Bull 'family' he has been a part of since 2008. Now 28, Ricciardo has acknowledged how important a decision awaits him. "That next bit of paper I sign could make or break my desire in terms of whether I can fight for a title or not", he told Autosport earlier, with any deal presumably taking him through "the peak years" of his career. "That's why I'm taking my time, I want to see where everyone is at [in 2018]."