Ricciardo planning to make amends at F1 2018 opener

Daniel Ricciardo says he is planning to make amends for a disappointing 2017 Australian Grand Prix by making a strong start to the 2018 Formula 1 season in Melbourne. 

The Red Bull driver endured a tricky start last year after crashing out of qualifying in Melbourne, before an engine failure ended his race at half-distance. Ricciardo’s previous best finish at his home race came in 2016 with fourth place.

He did score a podium with second place in 2014, but was later disqualified for exceeding the maximum allowed fuel flow during the race. Ricciardo insists is determined to repay his home supporters with victory this time around.

“Melbourne in 2017 was a combination of my errors and some misfortune, I crashed in qualifying and then we had a technical issue for the race,” Ricciardo explained. 

“We were all putting our hand up saying “my fault” last year so 2018 is definitely time to get what we deserve in Melbourne.”

Red Bull enjoyed a strong pre-season test at Barcelona and has been tipped for a title push in the upcoming campaign, with Mercedes labelling the Milton Keynes-based outfit as potentially being the biggest threat to its title hopes in 2018. 

Ricciardo, who recently said he was confident Red Bull will be much closer to Mercedes this year, is excited by the prospect of returning to the cockpit of his RB14 challenger. 

“Getting in the RB14 for the first time was really sweet, hearing it fire up and seeing it with the new bodywork gets you excited for the year. 

“The RB14 compared to the RB13 at this stage last year is a lot different. There is a fair bit of aerodynamic change this year. I can’t wait to get the season started.”