MOTORSPORT: Ricciardo goes back to work

Australia's Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo returns to work tonight (Monday, Australian time) – in last year's winless Red Bull-Renault car, but with new rain tyres.

Three F1 teams will trial F1 tyre supplier Pirelli's latest wet-weather rubber over two days at France's Paul Ricard circuit, ahead of the season opener at the Australian Grand Prix on March 18-20.

The circuit in southern France, which hosted 14 GPs between 1971 and 1990 and is now owned by F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, has what is described as an "ultra-refined watering system" that can simulate rain conditions.

However, showers are forecast for the area tonight anyway.

Ferrari and McLaren are the other teams participating in the test, but all of Pirelli's data on the new tyres will be available to the eight teams that won't be there – including Haas F1, the American outfit that will make its debut in Melbourne.

While Ricciardo will handle the first day of the wet-track test for Red Bull, he will hand over to Russian teammate Daniil Kyvat for the second day.

Ferrari will also use its race drivers, German four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and Finland's 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen, while McLaren will have its Belgian test driver Stoffel Vandoorne in one of its Honda-powered cars.

Mercedes is the notable absentee from the test, at which the three participating teams must use last year's models.

The world champion team the past two seasons, Mercedes is content to concentrate on completing its new model for Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg to race this year.

Launches of this year's cars for the third season of V6 hybrids won't start until mid-February, with the first of two four-day tests for them at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya to start on February 22.

Vettel, who quit Red Bull at the end of 2014 after a winless season while Ricciardo won three GPs in his debut season in the team that had won the previous four world championships, has already had some track time this year.

He drove one of Ferrari's 2014 cars at its Fiorano private test track at Maranello in Italy for what were described as "simulator correlation purposes".

While Red Bull sought alternative power units for this year after Renault's poor showing against Mercedes and Ferrari last season, it will continue with what it hopes are majorly upgraded units from the French manufacturer, but carrying TAG Heuer badges.

They should be identical to those in the cars of the team that in recent years has raced as Lotus, and which Renault has bought back over the off-season.

Red Bull's junior team, Scuderia Toro Rosso, will use last year's Ferrari power units this year.