No local has made it on to the Australian Grand Prix podium since it became a world championship round in 1985.
And Daniel Ricciardo can't see that hoodoo ending in Melbourne this weekend.
The Australian Formula 1 star claimed he was happy with his shock decision to end a five-year stint at Red Bull to sign with Renault, saying the new team "feels right".
But Ricciardo warned fans not to expect his trademark grin on the Albert Park podium at the F1 season opener.
"People ask me 'are you going to win this weekend?'," Ricciardo said ahead of his Renault debut.
"Obviously I want to say yes because I believe in my heart that I have got what it takes to win.
"But I have also got to be realistic and that is not necessarily the likely scenario.
"I just have to be a bit more measured with my responses and get people to understand the reality of this at the moment.
"But my objective is to push the car as far up the grid as it can go."
Renault finished the 2018 constructors' championship in fourth as the "best of the rest" behind heavyweights Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull.
Ricciardo admitted the pecking order did not look like changing any time soon, saying it would take time for Renault to threaten the "big three" in 2019.
"I will never be fully content until we are winning and that will take some time," he said.
"The likelihood of starting on the front row at least in the short term is slim.
"In Melbourne we will have an idea if we are thereabouts or completely lost."
However, the Australian star said the uncertainty would not change his attacking mindset on the Albert Park track.
In fact he believed it would only stoke it.
"The fact that there will be more cars starting in front of me is probably high but that will only help me in this position," he said.
"There is no reason for me to hold back. It's even more important for me to have that (attacking) character on track and to try and stay relevant and push the team towards the front."
Ricciardo is at least getting along with his new teammate Nico Hulkenberg.
One of the main reasons for walking away from Red Bull was his falling out with co-driver Max Verstappen, highlighted by their ugly crash at the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
"On a personal level I get on with Nico. For sure we will be competitive but we both know our main objective is to work together to get Renault to the front in a short time frame," Ricciardo said.
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