Daniel Ricciardo and Oscar Piastri send message to Formula One fans as Australian stars unite in Melbourne ahead of home Grand Prix

Daniel Ricciardo is delighted to return “home” for the Australian Grand Prix.

The veteran Formula 1 star, from Perth, posted a photo alongside Melbournian and McLaren star Oscar Piastri after a padel match on Tuesday.

Sunday’s race will be the first time two Australians have competed in the Grand Prix since Ricciardo was on the grid with Red Bull’s Mark Webber.

“We are home,” Ricciardo wrote, smiling over an image of himself with his arm around Piastri.

The RB star has had a difficult start to the season, failing to place in the top 10 in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

He joined the grid last year in place of Nyck de Vries and hopes to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull, but the Mexican sits second in the championship after a strong start to the campaign.

Helmet Marko, the current Red Bull team principal, did not mince his words when discussing Ricciardo’s performances last week.

“There is a lot at stake this season for Yuki and Daniel,” he wrote in a column for German publication Speedweek via The wide world of sport.

“Yuki’s qualifications are very good and Ricciardo needs to find something soon.

“At least Tsunoda is very good in qualifying. Then they fight for points from the first stint, only to fall further behind.

“Whether they are putting too much pressure on the tires or there are other reasons, that’s what you need to find out.”

Ricciardo admitted after the race in Jeddah that the team had not yet got his car running “100%”.

“We see some defects on the car, so we need to fix them for the next one,” he said.

“With a good car and everything sorted, I know we can do a lot better. Three very difficult days, but I don’t want it to take away our confidence.

Piastri, meanwhile, has had a good start to the season and sits fifth in the drivers’ standings, ahead of his more experienced teammate Lando Norris.