"I'm going to claim all of it if the race is wicked and awesome" - Daniel Ricciardo reveals his involvement in changes to Albert Park circuit for F1 Australian GP

F1 is back in Australia after two whole seasons and local hero Daniel Ricciardo is more excited than ever to be back home. The Albert Park Circuit has undergone significant layout modifications to allow for closer and more exciting racing and the Aussie revealed the role he played in the same.

In a press conference ahead of the 2022 Australian Grand Prix, Ricciardo spoke about his contributions to the changes brought in, saying:

“Yes. I’m going to claim all of it [the credit] if the race is wicked and awesome and everyone’s talking well about it. But it was already back in 2019, a few of us drivers were involved in the discussions about how we can, you know, make Albert Park a little more racer-friendly for Sunday and open up some of the apexes. And it’s always been a fun track, there wasn’t any... from a driver’s point of view it was always enjoyable, but it was not, I would say, a track that provided the most amount of overtaking.”

Speaking about his expectations from the race on Sunday, Daniel Ricciardo said:

“I’m confident it’s [the track] better. It’s just now probably what scale, but I think we’ll have a good race. And now with these new cars as well, we can follow and run a lot closer. I think we’ll be in store for a good one.”

The new 2022 regulations have been set with overtaking at the core of them all. Closer wheel-to-wheel racing is expected to allow for exciting battles and an improved watching experience for fans globally. The same is intended for the new modifications ahead of the Grand Prix in Melbourne.

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Daniel Ricciardo believes "everyone's just stoked" to be back in Melbourne to race

Australia will be hosting its first full F1 race weekend in three years this weekend. Daniel Ricciardo believes that the sport has grown exponentially in popularity in this gap and that fans, teams, and drivers are all excited to be back at the iconic Alber Park Circuit. He said:

“I think everyone’s just stoked to have the race back here. There’s a lot of motorsport enthusiasts and you feel that and I guess if any other driver wants to pick it up, I’m sure they’ll say the same, but there’s a lot of love for it. For sure it’s the sport has grown globally over the last few years since we raced here and it’s very much present.”

The 32-year-old currently has no points and therefore stands at the back of the drivers' standings ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.