Ricciardo felled by electrical issue at Australian GP

Daniel Ricciardo failed to start his home race as an electrical problem prevented him from taking the grid at the Australian Grand Prix, and although Red Bull worked to get him rolling on the second lap, he was forced to retire on lap 35.

Following a crash in Q3, Ricciardo originally qualified in 10th place but was forced to take a new gearbox after hitting the barrier with the rear of his car, resulting in an additional five-place grid penalty.

That position became redundant as Ricciardo was making his way to the grid 25 minutes before the race, with the home favorite stopping on the run to Turn 14. Despite staying in the car for a number of minutes to try and get it restarted, he climbed out. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner confirmed to RACER on the grid it was an electrical problem that had stopped the car.

A recovery vehicle managed to get the RB13 back to the Red Bull garage where the team attempted to resolve the issue to allow Ricciardo to start from the pit lane. Though he failed to get out in time he was able to fire two laps down. He managed 33 laps before ultimately being unable to go farther. 

The incident is yet another home disappointment for Ricciardo, who has never been on the podium in his home race, with a best result of fourth place last season. While he finished second on the road in 2014, he was excluded from the results for a fuel flow infringement, with Red Bull losing an appeal against the decision.