The biggest what-if of Daniel Ricciardo’s career revolves around his exit from Red Bull in 2018. Had the Aussie chosen to stay, the trajectory of his career could have been very different. In a recent interview, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko revisited Ricciardo’s decision to leave the team for Renault, noting that the Honey Badger was influenced by then-Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul’s “flattery.”
Speaking to Motorsport.com, Marko said, “He had some doubts about the Honda engine and apparently he listened more to the blandishments of Renault and Cyril Abiteboul. Financially, there wasn’t much difference between what Renault offered him and what we offered him.”
We are delighted to announce that @danielricciardo will join @RenaultSportF1 as a race driver from 2019. Full report https://t.co/9LUkd22abr#RSspirit pic.twitter.com/OIXUbjIoRm
— BWT Alpine Formula One Team (@AlpineF1Team) August 3, 2018
The 81-year-old clarified that Ricciardo did not go to Renault for the money. It was mainly Max Verstappen’s rise at Red Bull that threatened him. The Aussie was under a lot of pressure, with Verstappen getting better and better, becoming the preferred driver within the setup.
In hindsight, it was a bad decision by Ricciardo to leave Red Bull. Renault’s lofty ambitions never materialized on the track and he left for a better team rather quickly, joining McLaren. Unfortunately, things got even worse for him.
Ricciardo struggled to adapt to McLaren’s car in 2021 and his issues worsened with the new ground effect regulations in 2022. A massive performance gap with Lando Norris forced McLaren to axe the Aussie even before his contract ended in 2023.
Ricciardo made a fresh start at Red Bull and RB (its sister team) in 2023. He aimed to return to Red Bull and have a fairytale finish to his career. However, even that didn’t materialize.
How Ricciardo’s Red Bull return dream failed
It was a worthy second shot for Ricciardo to reconcile with the team he left in 2018 as even Red Bull welcomed him with open arms. They were keen to invest in the Aussie and groom him as a potential replacement for a struggling Sergio Perez.
However, Ricciardo struggled to find his footing within the team, and his performances at Red Bull rarely showcased the feisty racer he had been in the 2010s. The 35-year-old faced significant challenges with inconsistency and adapting to the new ground-effect machinery, resulting in a mix of both good and bad results.
Eventually, Red Bull had to take the tough call to replace Ricciardo after the Singapore GP with Liam Lawson. Currently, the Aussie has no contract for the 2025 season and this seems like the end of his illustrious F1 career.
