Daniel Ricciardo finished inside the top four in both free practice sessions on Friday at Albert Park, and insisted the mixed weather conditions seen were very Melbourne-like.
The Australian finished third in first practice after a run on the dry Pirelli tyres, but ended the session buried in the gravel trap at turn twelve as the rain returned, and then finished fourth in second practice held in damp conditions and forcing drivers to use Intermediate tyres throughout.
Ricciardo feels that should conditions remain variable throughout the weekend in Australia, then his Red Bull Racing team are prepared, and knows Saturday’s practice session will be a ‘mixed bag’ for all eleven teams.
“Today was the definition of Melbourne. Four seasons in one day, that’s what everyone says and we got that today,” said Ricciardo.
“It’s a shame we didn’t do that much constant running, but I’m not too frustrated with the position we’re in. The laps we did, I was pretty happy with and the car is in a decent place. It’s just nice to be back in the car again to be honest and I was very happy to put the helmet back on.
“I think tomorrow will be a little bit of a mixed bag for everyone. We did get enough running to feel all conditions and if it is variable throughout the weekend then we’re prepared for that.
“I took a little trip to the gravel this morning, but I noticed there were a lot of fans at Turn 12 and I wanted to say hello to them.”
