Australian F1 star shoots for GP glory on home soil

Australian Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo believes he is ready to break the dominance of Mercedes and Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne this weekend.

In an interview this week, Ricciardo said he was buoyed by the winter testing of Red Bull's new and improved RB14 which indicated he might have an edge over Ferrari's SF71H.

Having endured a poor 2017 season, where he won only once on the way to a fifth-placed finish in the championship, the Australian is determined to start the campaign with his first podium finish at the Albert Park circuit on Sunday.

"In a fight I believe I have the tools to win," Ricciardo told The Guardian on Sunday. "I believe I can get it done with the right material."

Ricciardo added that he would adopt an aggressive attitude behind the wheel all season as he pursues that elusive world title.

"Trust the car, trust the brakes, just go," he said. "It is a calculated but fearless approach - I am going to try and if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I will be happier if I crash by trying than not trying and running around behind the same guy for 70 laps.

"I still want to fight for that title. Wanting it is one thing but just being in the fight is the minimum I would ask."

The 28-year-old from Western Australia is out of contract at Red Bull this season and refuses to sign a new contract until he fully understands the capacity of his car.

But he will have to consistently lift his performance to break the Lewis Hamilton-Sebastian Vettel stronghold on Formula 1.

Britain's Hamilton and the German Vettel are battling it out for a fifth world championship to draw level with Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio-two titles behind Michael Schumacher.

Aside from the implementation of the protective halo - in line with Formula 1 regulations for 2018 - the Red Bull car has lost its 'shark fins' from last year and has undergone aerodynamic alterations.

Ricciardo will be desperate to avoid a repeat of 2017, when engine failure cut his home grand prix short after 29 of 58 laps.

"I am in a window now where I still feel young enough to have the fearless approach, but old enough in terms of experience," Ricciardo explained.

Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner, agrees that Ricciardo has the right attitude and the capability to match: "He is in that period of his career where he is in the purple sector.

"Hopefully we can provide the car to realize his potential."

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso is confident that McLaren can be more competitive this year after replacing its Honda engine with a Renault power unit.

Following the Melbourne and Bahrain races, the F1 Championship arrives in Shanghai on 12-15 April, before heading to Azerbaijan where Ricciardo took the chequered flag in 2017.

"The reality is it was always in me," added Ricciardo. "The intensity and the fight I have shown was always in me.

"I know what I can do in the car. And even if there is a 10% possibility then I am going to do it."