Ricciardo confident of fast future
HIETTE 40.58, 38 DAWN KINBACHER 41.00, 39 DAN HOGAN 41.02, 40 LISA JONES 41.10, 41 DARRYL QUINNEY 41.11, 42 BERNIE NORRIS 41.15, 43 FRASER BRADLEY 41.20, 44 SCOTT VOLLMERHAUSE 41.21, 45 STUART ILLMAN 41.32, 46 KRYSTAL PEARSON 41.54, 47 KEITH SCANDLYN 42.05, 48 DAN REYNOLDS 42.13, 49 IAN MEADE 42.41, 50 ANDREW KINBACHER 42.43, 51 ALAN MILDREN 43.15, 52 LYN NEWMAN 43.20, 53 ROBERT ELLERSHAW 44.03, 54 NICOLE DESAILLY 44.30, 55 EAMON KENNY 44.52, 56 JOHN WALSH 45.01, 57 MEEGAN EDE 45.02, 58 BRENT STOREY 45.08, 59 PAUL DAY 45.17, 60 COLLEEN NEWNHAM 45.26, 61 EMILY BROOKS 45.36, 62 STEVE BROOKS 45.37, 63 THORLEY WATSON 45.38, 64 DANIEL Ricciardo didn’t score the elusive home Grand Prix podium he so craves but he leaves Australia confident his Red Bull machine will allow him to challenge for the world championship.
Ricciardo was quietly confident Red Bull had closed the gap on Mercedes and Ferrari ahead of the season- opening Australian Grand Prix.
And there was enough evidence in his dramatic fourthplaced finish to suggest it’s the case.
The Australian started from eighth in Sunday’s 58- lap race after copping a contentious three- place grid penalty for speeding during a red flag in second practice.
But he thrilled locals with a barnstorming run at the Albert Park circuit, recording the fastest lap of the race ( one minute 25.945 seconds on the 54th lap) in his last- ditch bid to chase down Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen to snatch the last spot on the podium.
Four- time world champion Sebastian Vettel took the chequered flag for Ferrari, with pole- sitter Lewis Hamilton second in his Mercedes and Raikkonen third.
“We had a fast car — it’s a shame to only have got it to fourth but we couldn’t have done any more from eighth,” Ricciardo said.
“We’re not too far away. It’s just nice to leave Australia with some points ... the championship’s not over after race one.
“I don’t know what Lewis could have done with clear air at the end but I think we definitely had Ferrari’s pace.” SALLY MEADE 46.20, 65 KATE SARGENT 46.42, 66 BRIANNA HORE 46.55, 67 CHRIS BURNETT 47.02, 68 ROSEMARIE LABUSCHAGNE 47.08, 69 KATE MURRY 47.17, 70 ROSE LLOYD 47.21, 71 MATHEW SMITH 48.16, 72 CELESTE LABUSCHAGNE 48.17, 73 LIA JOHNSON 48.21, 74 RUSSELL GUSTAVSON 48.33, 75 MICHAEL DONOGHUE 48.43, 76 FIONA MURAKAMI 49.06, 77 BILLY GUY 50.01, 78 FRANCESCO TIRENDI 50.10, 79 SEAN EVANS 50.13, 80 WILLIAM SUE YEK 50.27, 81 ROD PARKER 50.50, 82 ZONIKA SMITH 51.39, 83 ANDREW HANNAY 52.08, 84 CONNY MUHLENBERG 52.55, 85 MARY DONOGHUE 52.57, 86 KATHY PATTESON 52.59, 87 SHERRY COX 53.04, 88 VIJAYA STEWART 53.38, 89