Daniel Ricciardo will end his five-year association with Red Bull Racing at the end of the season to make a shock switch to the Renault Formula One team.
The Australian was linked to a Ferrari move earlier in the year but talks between the two went cold early in the European season, and both Red Bull Racing and Ricciardo heavily hinted that a contract extension would be announced before the midseason break.
But Red Bull Racing delivered the sport its biggest surprise of the year when it announced Ricciardo would be leaving the team at the end of the year.
“We fully respect Daniel’s decision to leave Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and we wish him all the best in his future,” team principal Christian Horner said. “We would like to thank him for his dedication and the role he has played since joining the team in 2014, the highlights of course being the seven wins and the 29 podiums he has achieved so far with us.”
Ricciardo’s decision will see him leave Red Bull Racing after five seasons that delivered him all seven of those victories and his two pole positions, and the Perth-born 29-year-old said it was hard to make the move.
“It was probably one of the most difficult decisions to take in my career so far,” he said. “But I thought that it was time for me to take on a fresh and new challenge.
“I realise that there is a lot ahead in order to allow Renault to reach their target of competing at the highest level, but I have been impressed by their progression in only two years, and I know that each time Renault has been in the sport they eventually won.
“I hope to be able to help them in this journey and contribute on and off track.”
(Lars Baron/Getty Images)
Renault team boss Cyril Abiteboul said Ricciardo’s signing emphasised his team’s commitment to winning its first world championship since 2006.
“Daniel’s signing underscores our determination to accelerate our progress towards the forefront of the sport,” he said. “It is also a recognition of the work accomplished over the past two and a half seasons.
“Daniel’s undoubted talent and charisma are a huge bonus and statement for the team. We will have to repay his faith in us by delivering the best car possible.
“We welcome him to our growing team in 2019 with a great deal of pride, but also humility.”
Red Bull has been instrumental in Ricciardo’s rise through the motorsport ranks, inducting him into the Red Bull Junior Team in 2008 after just one year of racing in Europe and giving him his first Formula One drive with the now defunct HRT team in 2011.
He was promoted to Red Bull Racing feeder team Toro Rosso for 2012 before succeeding compatriot Mark Webber as teammate to then four-time reigning champion Sebastian Vettel at the senior team in 2014.
Ricciardo had little trouble seeing off the German, who struggled with the new-for-2014 aerodynamic regulations. Defeated by 71 points, Vettel announced his departure for Ferrari before the end of the season, leaving Ricciardo to lead the team alongside Daniil Kvyat in 2015 and part of 2016.
Max Verstappen’s arrival at Red Bull Racing early in 2016 changed the dynamic of the team, and many observers thought it only a matter of time until Ricciardo would seek clear air away from the hype of the teenage sensation, particularly after the Dutchman was offered a lucrative three-year deal last season and the opportunity to “build a team around him to deliver our shared ambition” in the words of team boss Horner.
(Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
“If they could make him the youngest ever world champion, [for] Red Bull as a brand, it is huge for them,” Ricciardo admitted. “From that point of view I completely understand.”
But he added that he didn’t believe Verstappen was receiving preferential treatment from the team.
Further motivation for the decision is Red Bull Racing’s switch away from Renault to Honda for power unit supply. Though trackside consensus says there’s little to choose between the two brands in terms of power output, the Japanese marque remains an unknown. It has supplied only one team each season since its return to the sport, each year incurring significant grid penalties for unreliability.
However, RBR believes Honda is demonstrating more development potential than its French counterpart, which has struggled with the turbo-hybrid formula since its 2014 introduction, but Ricciardo will likely have been attracted to an offer from a works team, which will be on the cutting edge of engine upgrades for power and reliability.
Ricciardo’s arrival at the Enstone-based French manufacturer will displace Red Bull-backed Carlos Sainz, whose one-year loan to Renault expires this season. Sainz has been linked to a McLaren move at the end of the season, but Red Bull Racing may choose to reunite him with former Toro Rosso teammate Max Verstappen in Ricciardo’s absence.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Verstappen might have an edge on Dan in raw pace, but it is marginal. Dan is clearly a better racer. Next year there is every chance that Max will continue to crash and bash his way through the season, and without Dan to get the points to make up for Max crashing into everybody, red bull might have second thoughts on Max as a future driver,
anon
Roar Pro
Verstappen clearly has the edge in raw pace. He's had more mechanical problems and has been less consistent than Ricciardo.
Chet
Guest
Rumour has it that Red Bull refused to put in writing that Ricciardo would receive equal treatment to Max - apparently that was the final bit of the contract they were thrashing out prior to the summer break. In the end they refused because they thought Ricciardo had no other options and to his credit he walked.
Chet
Guest
Ricciardo has outscored Verstappen every year they have raced together including this one - he already has the answer. But he doesn't have the team behind him because they have hyped Max beyond all rationality, Renault will be behind Ricciardo. I highly doubt Sainz will be at Red Bull - he's too fast and wont take a backward step against Max (at Torro Rosso the two were neck and neck on the track and at each other's throats off it).
Caractacus
Guest
Verstappen is the third best paid driver behind Hamilton and Vettel so it seems likely that RBR offered Ricciardo an inferior package and his pride probably forced his hand and I don't blame him. Whilst it means he'll almost certainly be making up the numbers for the foreseeable future at least he should be getting well paid for it. His choices were obviously limited once he decided to leave as the top teams clearly don't want two drivers hurting each other's and therefore the team's chances.....if Rosberg was still at Mercedes I think Vettel would be leading this year's WC comfortably.
Steve
Guest
After his post race interview in Hungary when he said he still didn't know what he was doing, I thought to myself he's leaving. Though, I thought it was going to be McLaren for some reason. I seriously believe that he didn't want to play second fiddle to Max Vercrashen, sorry, Verstappen, any longer, despite all the malarkey spun by Horner and Marko about them both being equal, even blind Freddie could see who RBR favoured. His move to Renault is either going to be a masterstroke move, similar to Hamilton's move to Mercedes or its going to be two years of driving around mid pack collecting a very sizeable salary. Hopefully Renault can provide him with a car and engine package that can win him races and a title.
anon
Roar Pro
Thinking about this, I think RBR have offered him an insultingly low amount of money for a driver of his ability despite little promise that the Red Bull-Honda package will be competitive in any way in the next several years. If you don't believe the partnership with Honda has any chance of success, then taking a more money to go with the works Renault team makes sense.
Steve
Guest
Agree 100% Good luck to him. Hopefully they can give him a car to challenge
anon
Roar Pro
Incredible. Did not see that coming at all. You could see him in the last few races he wasn't happy about something. I think deep down he didn't have an answer for Verstappen. Surely RBR gave him little choice but to leave otherwise it's a weak decision. I really hope Renault get it together. Verstappen in my mind is better than Ricciardo and that's the main reason Ricciardo left, but we're talking the smallest differences and on his day Ricciardo can compete with anyone. In fact, I think he's better than Hamilton and Vettel. Hopefully Renault give him a car good enough to win a championship with but I don't see it happening. Surely Sainz now goes to RBR and Ricciardo vs Hulkenberg becomes the most interesting intra-team rivalry on the grid. Mouth watering proposition. What will it say about the Hulk if he can beat Ricciardo?
Mark Young
Roar Guru
My mind returns to 2011 when Lewis leaves McLaren for Mercedes. I laughed, a lot and told my boss that he would never win a Grand Prix. It remains my poorest prediction ever. Yet soon after, Fernando Alonso leaves Ferrari for McLaren which will later turn out to be the worst decision by a major driver since Villenueve bailed on Williams for BAR. What will this mean for Daniel? He will either win the Championship for Renault or never win again.
Mark Young
Roar Guru
WOW - Just when you think things are fairly standard - BANG - it all goes Pete Tong! This is the right decision, there can be little doubt that Red Bull are throwing themselves behind Max and there can only be one number 1. It is nice to try and have two aces, but there can only be one. It never never never works! Lewis and Seb are jealously guarding their turf, so where else does Daniel go? Good decision. Better to be driving a Renault then a Honda.