A frustrated Daniel Ricciardo says his patience is being tested by engine troubles which forced him to miss a practice session at the Australian Grand Prix.

But Ricciardo says his bid to win his home grand prix won’t be derailed by the problem.

Red Bull Racing mechanics were installing a new engine in the Australian’s car as Mercedes dominated Friday’s initial two practice sessions in Melbourne.

Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton posted the quickest times with Ferrari duo Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen next best.

Ricciardo clocked the 10th fastest time in the first session but didn’t take to the track in the second in what he said was “a small setback”.

“The whole week has been a bit of a tease,” Ricciardo told reporters.

“We have talked about racing a lot and haven’t done much of it.

“I’m just more and more anxious to drive. I have got ants in my pants.

“It’s just a bit more frustrating … but we will pick ourselves up and do what we can over the weekend.

“It would have been nice to get more laps today but it’s definitely too early in the weekend to be down.”

Ricciardo said there were complex problems with the internal combustion in his car’s engine.

“We just didn’t get enough time to get everything sorted for P2 so instead of rushing it, it was just `okay, fix it properly’ and get back out there tomorrow,” he said.

“There’s no concerns about tomorrow.”

Ricciardo’s troubles came as Germany’s Rosberg posted the best lap in a time of one minute 27.697 seconds, a tenth of a second quicker than his teammate Hamilton.

“I am happy with today and with Lewis it’s always nip and tuck, quite close, so I have to nail it tomorrow,” Rosberg told reporters.

“I haven’t found the car balance 100 per cent, there’s too much oversteer … that makes it risky to drive, we have to work on it this evening.

“We always have an eye on the other teams but yes it’s been a great day for us, we are really confident about tomorrow.”

Hamilton, aiming for a third world title, said there was still room for improvement in his Mercedes.

“It’s no different to last year when we had an amazing car with great speed but it’s still not perfect, there is still some work to do,” Hamilton told reporters.