Daniel Ricciardo believes the Monaco Grand Prix will be his best shot at a first podium finish of the Formula One season.

The Australian hasn’t managed a result better than sixth in 2015, he finished sixth at the Australian Grand Prix in March and again last round in Bahrain.

Ricciardo admits the year hasn’t panned out the way Red Bull hoped, but with the early flyaway races now over and a slew of car upgrades due, the outlook is more promising.

“I think the European season is where a big team like us can gain momentum and really get some progress,” Ricciardo said in a team podcast ahead of Sunday’s Spanish GP.

“It was definitely our best weekend (in Bahrain) – it was only a sixth place to show for it, and a pretty sick engine across the finish line, but as a whole it was better.

“That was the first step towards getting our season back on track and we’ll build on that.

“I think Barcelona will be decent for us, and I think Monaco will be our best shot at really having a crack inside the top five and maybe even a podium.”

The 25-year-old scored his first two podiums in F1 at Barcelona and Monaco last season – not counting his disqualification from the Australian GP.

The two high downforce circuits favour his car, although reliability remains a concern.

Team principal Christian Horner said the three-week break had allowed his team to regroup and work with Renault to improve their troublesome engine.

“All our reliability issues have been powertrain-related and that’s where the main focus of effort’s going at the moment,” Horner said.

“We want to try and make a good step forward over the coming races and try and put Williams, and maybe even Ferrari, under a bit of pressure.”

Horner again praised Ricciardo and teammate Danii Kvyat for the way they’ve dealt with the difficult situation and maintained their enthusiasm amid the frustration.

“Daniel Ricciardo’s still smiling as much as he ever has done and young Kvyat, again, has had a tough hand at the moment, yet is not letting it get to him,” Horner said.