Daniel Ricciardo admits he has started to wonder if a change of chassis could help him end his latest performance slump.
The 34-year-old Australian had plans to impress in the RB cockpit this year in order to convince the parent team Red Bull Racing to re-hire him.
However, teammate Yuki Tsunoda is currently the clear team leader.
"I’m trying to understand what can come from me, what can come from the car, what maybe the car doesn’t give me, what I’m looking for, things like that," Ricciardo said at Suzuka.
He denied, however, that his latest slump is reminiscent of what happened at McLaren, when that team decided to dump him one year early amid what even Ricciardo admits was a total loss of confidence.
"It’s not a McLaren situation," Ricciardo insists.
"Personally, confidence, happiness, all that really remains unchanged. It’s just about getting a result. If I have two good races now, the bad ones are suddenly forgotten.
"But inside, I feel really good and that’s why it’s a bit strange that the results haven’t arrived yet."
Indeed, he admits he has wondered if there might be some kind of basic flaw with his current Faenza-made chassis.
"We’ve had a conversation about replacing the chassis," said Ricciardo. "Of course I’ve thought about it.
"You just want to make sure. You know, I’ve been in Formula 1 for a long time and I can detect even small deviations. So I’ve mentioned the issue."