"It was turned up a notch or two, or three" - Daniel Ricciardo on 'pretty wild' reception at Melbourne for F1 Australian GP

Daniel Ricciardo had a busy Thursday as Melbourne welcomed him back to the Australian GP. The sport has returned to the iconic venue for the first time since 2019 due to COVID-19 restrictions in the country.

Home hero Ricciardo is excited for F1's return to Albert Park, with much of his country cheering him on in the background. While the McLaren driver has always been popular in Australia, Ricciardo claims that the level of excitement has turned up a notch in 2022.

Speaking to the media, Daniel Ricciardo said:

“It’s always been pretty wild here so there’s no denying that. I don’t recall ever competing at a quiet home race – I think it’s always been pretty good, and the reception’s always been there – but it felt like it was turned up a notch or two, or three. Obviously we’ll see now the crowds coming more and more over the weekend but for a Thursday, I’m talking about around the world, it was the busiest Thursday I’ve experienced walking around a paddock. I think everyone’s just stoked to have the race back here; there’s a lot of motorsport enthusiasts and you feel that.”

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Daniel Ricciardo will take anything inside top 10 as a victory at Australian GP

Daniel Ricciardo claims that a points finish at the 2022 F1 Australian GP is the best he and McLaren can hope for, given the current state of their car. The team had a dismal start in Bahrain, with both drivers failing to score any points. Things were looking better for the Australian in Jeddah but a late reliability issue caused him to prematurely retire from the race.

Speaking about the nature of the revamped circuit and his team's chances, Ricciardo said:

“It’s going to be flowing and quite fast, especially [with] the changes they made. Perhaps that comes to us again and maybe we could fight for points. I mean, I know that’s not aiming very high, but that’s really all we can aim for [right] now. Until we get some big updates, I think anything inside the top 10 we’ll take as a little victory.”

The 32-year-old had a day to forget the last time F1 went to Australia, having DNF'd in his debut race for Renault in front of his home crowd.

Things, however, are looking up for the Honey Badger this time around as he placed P8 and P10 in the first two practice sessions at the iconic venue. Catch the action live as F1 returns to Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix.