Daniel Ricciardo, the Australian hopes that his fortunes can change at his home grand prix this time round, after that disastrous campaign last time round, where he was affected on qualifying and race day.
Ricciardo had suffered a gearbox penalty due to spinning off into a wall during qualifying, relegating him to that 15th spot on the grid.
However, Ricciardo was unable to take his place on the grid due to a gearbox sensor issue, and started two laps down.
And with everything leading up to the race going wrong for Ricciardo, the race was bound to be affected too. Ricciardo was affected with a fuel issue during the race and his Australian weekend(a homecoming of sorts) suffered a premature and painful end.
Ricciardo wants to correct all the wrongs this time round and is hopeful of a good weekend ‘Down Under’.
He was hopeful of a positive start to the F1 season, saying that last year was a combination of errors and misfortune, but that the team as a whole was ready to overcome all the issues
“Starting the F1 season in Australia means there is so much hype and so much build up,” Ricciardo said.
“With me being the only Australian on the grid there is extra attention, extra questioning and expectation.
“It’s a lot but it’s fun, it’s cool but it does mean I usually leave that weekend needing 48 hours of pure serenity and quietness!
“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.
“We were all putting our hand up saying “my fault” last year so 2018 is definitely time to get what we deserve in Melbourne, or get what we came for, that sounds better.” he added.
Do you think Ricciardo can make up for the shambolic display last time round?
