Ricciardo: Fingers crossed for excitement in France

Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo has said that he is looking forward to competing in the returning French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard Circuit this weekend, and hopes that the race gives the fans the level of excitement they crave after some low key outings.

France returns to the Grand Prix calendar for the first time since 2008 and the circuit of Paul Ricard has not been utilised since 1990, as the races mount up over the next few weeks; Austria, Britain, Germany and Hungary will all follow in quick succession before the mid-season break in August.

Paul Ricard's return appears to be a welcome one for fans and pundits, and Ricciardo reckons that he will need to wait and see how the track is set up, but is confident that there will be overtaking opportunities, and, as a result, something for the crowd to cheer.

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He said: “It’s cool having a French Grand Prix back on the calendar and fingers crossed it provides a good race not only for the French fans but the rest of the world. Maybe I will even speak perfect French by the end of the weekend as it’s been a month of French speaking races.”

“There are some long technical corners, which aren’t always that fun, but they’re a challenge and if you get them right you appreciate it. The track will also allow some variations in driving technique and style, which could make it interesting. It can get quite windy, so down the back straight there could be some slip streaming and good overtaking opportunities.”

“We’ve come from two street races with Monaco and Montreal, where the risk and reward is a lot higher than at Paul Ricard, which is a pretty open circuit.

"As far as adrenaline goes, it’s probably a bit more mellow than the last few tracks but if the racing is good then it makes up for it, so hopefully we will get that balance.

Ricciardo is currently fourth in the driver's standings, trailing leader Sebastian Vettel by 37 points ahead of Sunday's race.