Daniel Ricciardo’s Australian Grand Prix has gone from bad to worse, with his car rolling to a stop on a warm-up lap because of an electrical fault.

The local hope had qualified 10th fastest for Sunday’s season-opening race at Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit.

After crashing in Saturday qualifying, his Red Bull Racing car required a gear box change, which incurs a penalty of five spots on the grid.

But Ricciardo may not even get to the grid, his car halting during a warm-up lap with team bosses citing an electrical issue which caused the car to be stuck in sixth gear.

“At the moment, we’re trying to get the car back, see if we can get a reset on it,” Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner said.

“The car is stuck in sixth gear. Hopefully it can be cleared and he can still take the start of the race.”

The Australian driver was clearly frustrated as he exited his car before climbing into a support truck to return to pit lane.

In Saturday’s qualifying session, Ricciardo spun at a routine corner and crashed into a barrier.

The crash necessitated urgent repairs to his car including a gearbox change ahead of Sunday’s race which starts at 1600 AEDT.