Fresh from topping the timesheets during pre-season testing in Barcelona, Daniel Ricciardo joked there's money to be made by betting on him for world championship glory.
The Australian clocked a 1:18.047 around the Circuit de Catalunya -- an unofficial lap record -- on day two of the second and final Test before urging fans and friends to get behind him with bookmakers.
Most betting agencies have the Australian at 10:1 odds to win his first world drivers' title this year and when learning of his juicy odds Ricciardo joked: "I'm not personally a betting man but a lot of my mates are, so if they're listening throw a cheeky $75,000 on it."
Ricciardo has made strong progress with Red Bull's new RB14, completing a whopping 165 laps during an action-packed day in Spain. It came a day after teammate Max Verstappen set 130 laps for the third quickest time.
The team's progress has Ricciardo confident ahead of the season-opening race in Melbourne on March 25.
"I feel where our car was good last year we've made that even better, so our strengths have become stronger," Ricciardo said. "I still think we need to find a bit more to realistically match Mercedes, but I don't think we're far behind.
"I think we are better than we were 12 months ago, let's say that much."