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The 28-year-old has an important decision to
make, with his next move likely to be crucial to his hopes of
becoming his country's first world champion since Alan Jones in
1980.
Red Bull have said they want him to stay but champions Mercedes
and Ferrari, the sport's most successful team, both have drivers
whose contracts are expiring at the end of the year.
"Nothing has really developed since the end of the season. I
switched off from F1," Ricciardo told Sky Sports television at
pre-season testing at a cold and wet Circuit de Catalunya on
Wednesday.
"I think realistically around April things will start to be
spoken. After a few races, hopefully I win the first few and I
can have a powerful say in what I do."
Red Bull already have Dutch driver Max Verstappen under contract
until 2020.
The 20-year-old is regarded as a world champion of the future,
and there has been plenty of speculation about an eventual move
to Mercedes or Ferrari.
Mercedes are expected to agree a new long-term deal with four
times world champion Lewis Hamilton in the next few weeks but
Finland's Valtteri Bottas has an uncertain future as his team
mate.
So too does 2007 world champion and fellow-Finn Kimi Raikkonen
at Ferrari, who have Germany's four times champion and 2017
runner-up Sebastian Vettel signed up to 2020.
Ricciardo, race winner in Azerbaijan last year, joined former
champions Red Bull Racing in 2014 after making his debut with
now-defunct HRT in 2011 and racing for Red Bull-owned Toro Rosso
for two years.
The Australian was fastest on the opening day of pre-season
testing on Monday.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Toby Davis)
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