Australian Grand Prix points finish will ‘feel like a win’ for Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren

McLaren only picked up six points from the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix

Ricciardo and McLaren have struggled in the opening two races of the season (Getty Images)

Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo has said a points finish at his home race this weekend would “feel like a win”.

The McLaren team have struggled in the opening two races of the 2022 season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Both Ricciardo and Lando Norris finished outside the points in the season opener, before Norris’ seventh place earned the team their first top-10 in Saudi Arabia, as Ricciardo failed to finish the race.

And while winning the Australian GP continues to elude the Perth-born driver, he insists scoring points would feel like a victory given where the team is currently at.

Speaking to GP Fans, he said: “Maybe we will be lucky and fight for points. I know we’re not aiming very high with that, but that’s the only thing we can go for at the moment.

“Until we get major updates to the car, I think any place in the top ten feels like a win. Lando and I felt in Jeddah that the car felt a lot better.

“It doesn’t feel bad, we just need a bit more grip and downforce. That’s encouraging. I don’t think we are out of the race, we just need to find improvements.”

Ricciardo has eight Grands Prix wins to his name but has never finished on the podium in his home race - with his best finishes a pair of fourth places in 2014 and 2016.

F1 is returning to Australia for the first time since 2019 after the coronavirus pandemic wiped it from the calendar in 2020 and 2021. And Ricciardo is thrilled to be back in front of his own supporters.

“I am beyond excited to get back out on track in Melbourne,” he added. “Nothing beats a home crowd, and the Australian fans are some of the best in the world.

“I’ve been back in Perth since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and I feel rested, prepared and excited to get stuck into one of my favourite weekends of the year. It will also be great to try out the new layout for myself, particularly the sweeping right-hander as it seems fast.”