Daniel Ricciardo believes leaving Red Bull could be worth the risk as he looks to mount a genuine challenge for the Formula One title.

The Australian has seven career wins in F1 and finished third in the drivers' standings in 2014 and 2016 - the same position he currently holds - with reigning champion Lewis Hamilton believing Ricciardo has joined himself and Sebastian Vettel in a three-way title fight.

Speculation is mounting around Ricciardo's future as, in his final year at Red Bull, he has yet to commit to the team, while publicly considering potential moves to Ferrari, Mercedes or McLaren. And the 28-year-old's aim is to sign a contract somewhere he can be a real contender, Ricciardo not content to settle for merely being on the fringes of the title picture.

"I said it from the start: the priority is to try to get a car that can win a world title because I really believe I can. That's the first thing in my mind," Ricciardo said. "If there was absolutely no possibility [of a title] then you look into other things, but I think, as a driver, I've done enough now. Even Lewis touched on it and I didn't even need to really say it.

"Your value as a driver is not 'X' amount of money, it's just what you feel your value is and what you bring to the sport. I feel I hold a certain value so I just want to at least match that with my expectations and what also people value me as. If I don't win a title and whether I'm coming third or fifth, it's probably no different to having a step back [from Red Bull].

"The only way my career takes a step back is if I stop performing. Obviously if I just came off three world titles and went to a team that's only coming fifth, that's probably a step back. But because I've been floating around that top three, top five mark for the last few years, there's probably not really a step to take back unless I stop performing. I don't really fear that. For me, there's only something to gain, I've just got to figure out what place it is to make that gain."