Ricciardo excited at F1 season opener

For Daniel Ricciardo, Christmas is nice – but the Australian Grand Prix is better.

Ricciardo says he’s excited to get the Formula One season underway with two practice sessions at Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit on Friday.

“For all of us it’s great to have time off over Christmas but testing starts and then you get the taste for it again and you just want to go racing,” Ricciardo said.

“I’m obviously really happy to be back here at home in Oz and get another season going.

“(I have a) lot of confidence coming off last year so am ready to have a good one and get on track.”

Ricciardo won three races last year in his debut season with Red Bull Racing and believes his outfit better placed entering the new season.

But Ricciardo said Red Bull and others would all be chasing Mercedes and reigning champion Lewis Hamilton in Melbourne.

The Formula One drivers take to the Albert Park track on Friday from 1230 AEDT for the opening 90-minute practice session, with another session to start from 1630 AEDT.

Dutchman Giedo van der Garde could be among them after a court ruling allowing him to race was upheld.

Formula One minnows Sauber on Thursday lost an appeal in the Victorian Supreme Court against the ruling that ordered them to allow him to contest the grand prix.

Van der Garde won a Victorian Supreme Court court decision on Wednesday forcing Swiss-based F1 team Sauber to reinstate him.

Sauber appealed the decision but the Victorian Court of Appeal rejected their renewed bid to block van der Garde racing.

Sauber has two other drivers set to race, Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson, but under the court ruling, one of those drivers will likely have to sit out the race to allow van der Garde to drive.

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