Ricciardo sees enthusiasm from Verstappen: 'Max is cheering'

Daniel Ricciardo faces a special race this coming weekend. The McLaren driver will then travel to Australia, where the third Grand Prix of the season is scheduled. According to the driver, however, he is not the only one who is excited about the event.

Ricciardo hoped prior to the season that he could compete for trophies in 2022, but for now he has to fight hard to gain any points for his team at all. In the opening race in Bahrain he finished in fourteenth place and in Saudi Arabia he had to retire early.

However, the race in Australia should bring about change. Due to the Covid crisis the event could not take place in 2020 and 2021, but this weekend Formula 1 is back in Melbourne. Although Ricciardo will undoubtedly not expect to succeed Valtteri Bottas, who last won at the track in 2019, he will be hoping for a good result.

By his own account, Ricciardo is not the only driver excited about the circuit, as Max Verstappen is also said to be looking forward to the race. "Max [Verstappen] is cheering! He's excited to go as well," Ricciardo states in conversation with Formula1.com. "It's personal to me because I am Aussie and it's a home one and that's a privilege, but every driver I speak to about Melbourne, they love it, they love it as an event."