Young Aussie rocket faster than Vettel!

Perth's Daniel Ricciardo has proven again that he has the speed to be an F1 driver with two scintillating days of testing in Abu Dhabi, but he doesn't know when he's going to get on a GP grid
Twenty one-year-old Australian Daniel Ricciardo has lapped Abu Dhabi's grand prix track faster than new world champion Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber -- but still doesn't know whether and when he will get to race in Formula One.

Ricciardo's racing future is to be decided before Christmas by Red Bull motorsport supremo, Austrian ex-F1 driver Dr Helmut Marko.

The West Australian may have to do one more year in a junior category as Red Bull Racing has Germany's new world champion Sebastian Vettel and Australian Mark Webber contracted again next season, and smaller sister team Toro Rosso has committed to Swiss driver Sebastien Buemi and Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari.

However, Ricciardo will get another F1 outing this month -- some demonstration runs at Perth's new Festival of Speed at Barbagallo Raceway on Sunday, November 28.

Ricciardo, of Duncraig in Perth, has won 24 races in Europe in the past three seasons, taken two titles -- including the prestigious British Formula Three Championship last year -- and been runner-up in two other series, most recently the World Series by Renault for 3.5-litre V6 openwheeler cars.

Possibilities for next year are the GP2 category, a support series to F1 at many GPs, or another season in the Renault series.

Ricciardo lapped Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina circuit overnight 1.3 seconds faster than Vettel did in taking pole position for last weekend's season-ending GP, at which he became F1's youngest world champion at 23.

Ricciardo, at the wheel of the Red Bull RB6 car that Webber drove in that race, was more than 1.8 seconds quicker than his countryman -- a veteran of almost 160 GPs -- was last weekend.

Ricciardo's best lap last night was 1 minute 38.102 seconds as headed testing for potential F1 drivers for the second and final day in Abu Dhabi.

Vettel's pole position time last Saturday was 1 minute 39.394 seconds, while Webber qualified fifth at 1 minute 39.925 seconds.

F1 experts estimated the Yas Marina track was about 1.5 seconds faster last night than on the weekend, with more traction as much more rubber had been laid on the racing line from more than a dozen F1 aspirants circulating each of the past two days.

Ricciardo drove 77 laps last night -- almost 1½ times a GP distance -- and the second fastest driver on trial, Belgian Jerome D'Ambrosio in a Renault, was 0.7 seconds slower.

"I had the most amazing time in the car," Ricciardo said. "The team (Red Bull Racing) seemed very pleased, which is really nice for me and I got on so well with everyone over the two days.

"It's an amazing experience to work with so many people who are all focused on one car -- it is such a professional team effort.

"I'm not sure what this test will mean for next year, but I know even more now that this is where I want to be.

"Whether I might be in F1 next year or the following, I will do everything to make sure it happens -- and I think this test has probably helped me.

"I feel like I've had a really eventful season (runner-up in the World Series by Renault and F1 reserve driver for Red Bull) and now with the F1 test over I can step back a bit -- I've done what I can.

"It's been an amazing experience and I hope I can repeat it again soon."

The car Ricciardo -- and Webber -- will demonstrate in Perth on November 28 will be an older, Cosworth-engined Red Bull, rather than the Renault-powered RB6.

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