Daniel Ricciardo says he would have been tempted to make the swap to Mercedes this year had he not been locked in a contract with Red Bull.
Nico Rosberg's retirement after winning the 2016 title left one of the most desirable seats on the grid open for 2017. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff claimed he had been called by at least 80 per cent of F1 drivers following Rosberg's announcement and Ricciardo admitted the prospect of driving for the world champions had crossed his mind.
"Tempting for sure, to have a feeling of how that car works," he told Formula One's official website. "But 2017 is a new year and I'm hoping my car will now be the championship one!"
New regulations for 2017 could shake up the order this year and Ricciardo is convinced he is at the right team.
"It was a crazy position it put Mercedes in. I'm sure every driver called, or thought about calling Toto and Niki [Lauda]. It's been interesting to see it evolve and now [Valtteri] Bottas has his big chance. We'll see how he goes. For me, I am best where I am: at Red Bull Racing."
While the prospect of a Ricciardo and Lewis Hamilton partnership would have been thrilling for F1 fans, Ricciardo believes he and teammate Max Verstappen are currently the best driver pairing on the grid.
"I really think we do [have the best line-up]. Now. Not sure who the second best line-up is. Don't really care, ha ha."