Ricciardo seeks end to Aussie title drought
DANIEL Ricciardo called his strong support at the Australian Grand Prix “kind of overwhelming” yesterday, but said it gave him extra motivation to become the race’s first Aussie winner in 37 years.
The 27-year-old from Perth, Western Australia, is lining up for his sixth crack at the race in Melbourne on Sunday, after placing fourth last year, his best performance yet.
Ricciardo i s seeking t o become the first domestic driver to win the Australian race since it became part of the world championship calendar in 1985.
Alan Jones was the last Australian to win his home grand prix in 1980, when he was also the last Australian to win the world title.
But Ricciardo, the Red Bull driver with the neon smile who finished third in last year’s world championship, said he isn’t burdened by national expectations.
“It’s not a weight on my shoulders,” Ricciardo said at the official media conference yesterday. “It means more work, for sure. This week is easily the busiest F1 week of the year for me. But it’s all positive support. It’s kind of overwhelming, actually. I’m surprised so many people are getting behind me and the event . . . it won’t last forever.”
In 2014, Ricciardo crossed the line second behind Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, but cruelly he was disqualified for breaching fuel rules.
“It’s demanding, it is a tiring week, but it’s pretty cool to see so many people supportive of me and the event . . . it’s a bit of extra motivation for me,” Ric- ciardo said. “I don’t see it as pressure in terms of – if I don’t win on Sunday, I know they’re not all going to leave the track and say I’m hopeless and never come back.
“They want to see me do well and that’s how I see it, pretty much. I think at the [prerace] drivers’ parade on Sunday, I’ll see that and feel it and get me jacked up for the race.”
‘Keeping a lid’ on it
Ricciardo has won four races from 109 GPs, but he said a win in Australia would top them all. “If anyone could win just one race, they would always say their home [race],” he said. “I would love to . . . and we feel like we’re coming in as well prepared as possible.”
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton yesterday said he wanted a season-long world title joust with Sebastian Vettel and declared Ferrari the team to beat in this weekend’s Australian Formula One Grand Prix.
Three-time world champion Hamilton said he would love a close battle with Vettel, who strung together four world titles with Red Bull before switching to Ferrari.
While Mercedes have dominated the last three seasons with Hamilton winning two titles and Nico Rosberg last year before his shock retirement, the Ferraris were quickest in pre-season testing.
Hamilton believes Ferrari are “keeping a lid” on expectations but said he would savour a battle with Vettel for this year’s world driver’s championship in the new generation of quicker cars.
“I’ve not had a lot of battles with Sebastian on the track. Of course I’d love to have that. I think the fans want to see that,” Hamilton said.
“You want to be racing against the best. That’s what the fans want to see.
“They want to see that close racing, that sheer competitiveness. See the ups and downs of the best doing the best. I hope there’s lots of close racing.”
Hamilton said Ferrari, who have not won a world constructors title since 2008, had the quickest car heading into Melbourne.
“I see Ferrari being the quickest at the moment. And I think they’ll definitely be the favourites. But we’ll find out more on the weekend,” he said. “It’s interesting to see – Sebastian is usually a lot more hype. I can tell he’s trying to keep a lid on it. But their pace was obviously great in testing.”