Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo says he is confident he would beat three-time world champion Lewis Hamilton if he found himself paired with the Briton in the same machinery.
Ricciardo is currently up against the highly-rated Max Verstappen at Red Bull and the pair were evenly matched throughout 2016, with the Australian finishing ahead on points – in part thanks to Verstappen's mid-season promotion from Toro Rosso.
However Ricciardo says he would love to be Hamilton's team-mate in the future and reckons he would come out on top.
"Absolutely," he told The Age when asked if he could beat Hamilton. "It's something that I've been asked a few times – who would you love as a team-mate and all that – and Lewis was one that I was always saying.
"Obviously I think that he is massively talented and…I think we would have a good fight, and, yeah, I'd have confidence that I could get the job done."
The 27-year-old says he has a good relationship with Hamilton, despite the Briton's preference of keeping to himself during race weekends.
"He's never had anything bad to say about me. He's always been nice to me, but sure he has days where he likes to keep to himself," he added.
"Some days we'll chat and other days we won't and that's just that. But at the same time, it's, sure I've made a few friends in the sport, but it's not our primary purpose of being here."
Meanwhile Ricciardo says he's been preparing for 2017 by winding down and forgetting about Formula 1, unlike his team-mate Verstappen who has spent a lot of his down-time go-karting to remain 'race sharp'.
"Don't get me wrong I like go-karting but I also like doing other things," he said. "I think it has been one my strengths in a way being able to switch off. I don't really go to sleep at night thinking about racing or anything.
"You know some people say you should live and breathe the sport, but I tend to disagree with that. You need to actually have other things going on to take your mind off it, otherwise it will just wear you out. I think in the long run it will give me more longevity in the sport and keep my enjoyment up in it."
