Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo says he is a fan of Formula One's new qualifying system and he expected Mercedes and Ferrari to have a hold of the top four spots when the racing starts in Melbourne.

SOUNDBITE (English) Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull racing driver:

(On what he hopes to achieve in Melbourne this weekend)

"So, expectations for the weekend, hopefully a fun race. Where it puts us on track I don't really know yet. Mercedes and Ferrari are going to be covering the top four positions, so hopefully somewhere close behind that. To have a good race, be competitive, give the crowd something to cheer for."

SOUNDBITE (English) Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull racing driver:

(On the new Formula One qualifying system)

"New qualifying system should be pretty cool. Obviously we are going to test it out in a few days time. I think it will probably create a bit more pressure, not only for the drivers, but the teams to send us out on track at the right time, make sure we get a lap in before the elimination. Yeah, hopefully it creates even more excitement."