Ricciardo struggled through qualifying on Friday night in Jeddah and was bewildered by his inability to improve as those around him did.

Following Saturday’s race, in which he spun on the penultimate lap, the Australian revealed the team had found issues with his car following qualifying.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, the eight-time race winner offered further insight into what the team discovered.

“We found some inconsistencies across the cars,” he admitted when asked by Speedcafe.

“Obviously, when it’s so tight, especially in our position, you need everything to try and be there.”

Ricciardo’s race in Saudi Arabia was compromised early by a slow stop under the Safety Car, which left him at the back of the pack.

Once he cleared Valtteri Bottas, he quickly chased down the train of cars ahead, becoming another in the DRS queue behind Kevin Magnussen.

“It made it a very long and tough weekend,” Ricciardo confessed.

“So ahead of this weekend, I think everything’s been addressed.

“I’ve been speaking with the team a lot. I was back in the sim as well after Saudi and before heading home.

“So yeah, I feel like we’ve done everything we can to come here with our best shot, and I’m very, very happy that we’re probably 24 hours away from getting in the car.”

Ricciardo heads into the weekend under pressure following comments from Red Bull motorsport advisor Dr Helmut Marko.

Even 1980 world champion Alan Jones criticised him, telling the Herald Sun “we can’t be blaming the car all the time, which has been a bit of a tendency in the past.”

“A big part of our job is – the most important part is the driving, but a big part of it is talking to you guys [the media],” Ricciardo said in response.

“When things go well, obviously everyone’s talking positively, and when they don’t, they don’t talk positively. That’s part of it.

“The more I get into the sport, the more I just know that I’ve come back here because I believe I can do it. I believe I belong here.”

Ricciardo will be on track for the first time in Albert Park since 2022 for opening practice, starting at 12:30 AEDT tomorrow.

He’ll do so with a new helmet design incorporating native Australian flora and fauna – the outcome of a competition with the helmet to be auctioned for charity following Sunday’s race.