Ricciardo has stunned Red Bull by stating that he will be leaving at the end of the 2018 season where it is supposedly reported that he will join Renault.
During his summer break, Ricciardo he said it was definite that he would bin his extension with Red Bull. Reasons for his departure include the lack of love Daniel has felt after Red Bull have implicitly made Max Verstappen their number 1 driver by giving him a hugely improved deal last season.
This comes as shocking news given the tension between Red Bull and Renault due to Renault’s consistent engine failures. Even more shockingly is the downgrade from Ricciardo rumoured to have been signing with Ferrari just months ago, to now being linked with Renault.
No doubt to say that Ricciardo will be taking a big gamble by jumping into that Renault.. Unfortunate for the Australian as he has been so consistent and so close to a title, even with the unreliability of the Red Bull in the past. Daniel has obtained 934 points in his career, an astounding effort for a man that has never been in a ‘championship winning’ car.
Here is Red Bulls official statement on the news:
Daniel Ricciardo has advised us that he is to leave the Team at the end of the 2018 season.
Having joined the Red Bull family in 2008 as a member of the Red Bull Junior Team, with whom he won numerous junior titles, Daniel made his F1 debut in 2011 at the British Grand Prix. After two seasons with Scuderia Toro Rosso, Daniel joined us in 2014 and to date has brought the team seven victories, 29 podium finishes, two pole positions and 904 championship points.
Commenting on Danielβs decision, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner said: βWe fully respect Danielβs decision to leave Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and we wish him all the best in his future. 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.
βWe will now continue to evaluate the numerous options available to us before deciding on which driver partners Max Verstappen for the 2019 season. In the meantime, there are still nine races left in 2018 and we are fully focused on maximising every opportunity for Max and Daniel for the remainder of the season.β
