Ricciardo qualified fifth fastest in Montreal before delivering eighth in the race, his best result of the season.

It ended an 11-race run of finishes outside the top 10 (excluding Sprints), a streak that equalled his worst in Formula 1.

Ricciardo is without a race contract for next season, the last of the four Red Bull-aligned drivers yet to have their future confirmed.

Sergio Perez headed to Canada with a new one-plus-one deal in his pocket with Red Bull Racing while RB confirmed Yuki Tsunoda will remain with the squad for 2025 just before qualifying.

“Canada obviously helps. I needed a result like that,” Ricciardo admitted of his own plight.

“Obviously, I would like to stay. Now that I’m back in that Red Bull family that’s where… I really don’t see myself anywhere else, so that’s where I would love to stay and continue.

“But I also said, I think before the weekend in Canada, I obviously want to earn it.

“I don’t just want to stay another year, I obviously want to be here because I know that I still belong here and can do performance like I did last week.

“So it’s also up to me just to make sure that I can keep pulling it out. And in that case, then I’ll be very happy to stay.”

RB heads into this weekend with upgrades to its car, notably around the floor and rear wing.

It’s a sizeable upgrade, though is unclear whether that will move the team forward as others also introduce new parts.

“We’re expecting an improvement, yes, but relative to others, that’s what we have to wait and see,” Ricciardo explained.

“Typically, Barcelona is a track where everyone comes with updates.

“I don’t know yet if everyone is bringing them, but in the ast it is the start of the European season really where everyone brings their best efforts.

“I know we will be a little quicker, but it’s all relative, right?

“We’ve been strong, obviously, nearly every weekend.

“The team has been getting some points, so for that to continue, that’s obviously where we plan to be.”

Practice in Spain begins at 13:30 local time today (21:30 AEST).