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Red Bull has offered its thanks to Daniel Ricciardo after it was announced that the Australian would leave the team at the end of the season. The 29-year-old joined the energy drink squad in 2014, and has taken seven wins in his stint in the hybrid era.
Ricciardo is set to take up a place at Renault alongside Nico Hulkenberg in search of a new challenge. Speaking about Ricciardo's unexpected departure, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner wished his driver all the best for the future and thanked him for his service.
"We fully respect Daniel’s decision to leave Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and we wish him all the best in his future," he 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.
"We 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."
Grand Prix of Belgium
G. Zhou
959 members have this team as their favourite
Replies (9)
Login to replyajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
Big loss for Red Bull. Lucky Gasly. He should be fun to watch next to Max. I predict sparks.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
This is either a good move or a very bad move, methinks. A HAAS seat would probably be a better deal, but I dont think HAAS could afford him. Renault doesnt currently commit enough to F1, and IMO dont spend close to enough to be ready to challenge Merc and Ferrari. But best of luck to him. One of my current favourites.
boudy
Posts: 1,168
I agree. He's within the top 5 drivers currently in F1. Not sure about the commitment towards F1 however he gets to run those unreliable Renault engines again. Will Honda be better next year?
Can see gasly joining Redbull next year, Sainz has not shown enough improvements.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
They spend enough resources to do better, so I hope they do git gud. But as my mum use to say: never trust a man without skin... or Abiteboul...
ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
@Calle I'd argue that signing Ricciardo, which probably didn't come cheap, shows greater commitment to F1 by Renault. People get annoyed with Renault for taking so long to build a championship winning team, but consider how long it took RB or Mercedes to get truly competitive. The comparison to HAAS is a moot point, they aren't really developing too much on their own. Which is great to get a head start, but bad if a championship is what you're after. There's no way under the current terms that HAAS will ever fight for a championship. Renault was a gamble for sure, but so was Lewis joining Mercedes. For the good of F1 I hope it turns out to be a good gamble.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
In one way yes, but there are other factors I think are more decisive when it all trickles down. Like how they dont spend anywhere near the sums the other works teams and RB spend on their cars while apparently not being as efficient as say Force India tend to be. They are also the engine manufacturer with the least amount of staff as of present. As for HAAS vs Renault: maybe a poor comparison, but IMO its apt. Neither Renault or HAAS are ready for the championship, so might aswell pick the best of the rest.
Olfacius
Posts: 31
Let's see if Daniel gets better engine performance and reliability for the remainder of the year...
boudy
Posts: 1,168
Doubt that very much. That Renault PU isn't the most reliable machinery. Not will it be next year by all accounts.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
That isnt necessarily all that certain. During 2016, neither Honda or Renault were very far away from Ferrari and Merc' in terms of reliability, so 2018 could see them even closer in that regard. Mind, I have less faith in Renault than Honda.