Ricciardo gets his own grandstand in Melbourne

Daniel Ricciardo says he has extra motivation ahead fo his home race, the Australian GP, after a grandstand was named after him – and sold out fast.

The Aussie heads home to Australia this weekend for the season-opening race at the Albert Park street circuit.

In five starts he has yet to reach the podium in Melbourne but this season will have a bit of extra incentive.

“This year they have named a grandstand after me, the Ricciardo Premium Grandstand with views of Turns Three, Four and Five, which is pretty cool,” he said.

“It’s another bit of motivation for me to do well and I will of course give the fans a wave. It’s great to have such positive support and I’ve heard the tickets sold out pretty quickly for the stand.

“I will definitely embrace the weekend, have some fun with it and try and give the fans a reason to celebrate on Sunday.”

The build-up to the race, though, is rather intense for Ricciardo, who as Formula 1’s only Australian driver is a hot commodity at home.

“It’s always good to be back on home soil and enjoy a bit of sunshine after winter testing,” he added.

“My home race is awesome in so many ways but it’s also super busy and full on, the week for me starts on Monday and doesn’t stop until Sunday night.

“It’s nice that there’s so much media attention at the start of the season and everyone is super excited to see how I go. I try and attend as many events as I can but I’m still there to do a job.

“We get a pretty big greeting from everyone when we arrive at track each morning, the fans are so enthusiastic!”