Breaking news
Formula 1
Ricciardo: I could have lost McLaren seat without early deal
Renault Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo says he risked losing the opportunity to race for McLaren in 2021 had he delayed his decision to join the team any further.
Adam Cooper
Edited: Jun 21, 2020, 5:23 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Ricciardo signed for McLaren last month in the slipstream of Ferrari announcing that Sebastian Vettel would not be staying on in 2021, and that he would be replaced by Carlos Sainz. That opened a vacancy at McLaren that Ricciardo immediately filled.
Some observers have questioned why the Australian didn’t wait and at least see how the 2020 formbook looked rather than committing to a move so far in advance.
However Ricciardo says that even once the delayed season started he wouldn’t have had clear answers for a month or two, and thus there was no point in delaying his decision.
“I think obviously Vettel’s announcement or news with Ferrari kind of sparked everything,” Ricciardo told the F1 podcast. “And then things were moving pretty quickly around Carlos and all the other stuff.
“Although it seemed like there was maybe still time, I don’t actually think there was, to make movement, if that was what you were going for.
“This is all just what I’m playing in my head – if you start racing in July, which even then wasn’t 100%, but which we are by the looks of it, you’re not going to find out in the first race or the second race.
“You’re probably going to wait until August or maybe September until you really know where everyone’s at, and then I think it felt like it was going to be too late to get something you were after.”
Read Also:
- Ricciardo expects "driver egos will get in the way" in Austria
- Who could replace Ricciardo at Renault?
- Ricciardo held Ferrari talks before joining McLaren
Ricciardo admitted that it wasn’t a clear cut decision to leave Renault for McLaren, and he had to based it on a combination of 2019 form and the unknown potential of next year’s Mercedes-powered package.
“Obviously the reality is you get pitches from whichever team is talking to you, and to some extent, especially now without having any races and any kind of proof other than last year, you have to go on what pitch excites you more than the other. You’re going with what you feel and think at the time. Who knows?
“Obviously if I go back to last year, which is our best reference for now, they were the team that made the most noise.
“Mercedes won the championship again, but it was quite clear to most that McLaren was the team which made the biggest step out of all. That was really encouraging for them, and that’s really all you can base it on.
“And then the pitch for the future. Obviously they are switching power units and all that. Even talking about it now it’s certainly tough, because by no means was it an easy decision, and not having very much to gauge from 2020, that was pretty difficult.”
Asked what was the key to his choice he added: “I’ll be honest, there wasn’t one deciding factor.
“It was certainly different to the Red Bull situation [in 2018]. I feel like Red Bull had run its course for me, personally, I’d been there a long time, we’d tried and tried, and we’d won races, but not the championship.
“So then it was, ‘OK, I just need a change.’ This one I wouldn’t say it was as clear, as far as yes we didn’t achieve what we wanted last year, but equally I wasn’t expecting to win last year. Let’s say it was by no means an easy one, and time will tell.”
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Hamilton launches new commission to improve diversity in racing
Next article The lost F1 team that launched Adrian Newey
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Adam Cooper
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Formula 1
Formula 1
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
Formula 1
Formula 1
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
More from
Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo shares heartfelt message after first Indy 500 visit brought back "childhood feelings"
Formula 1
Formula 1
Barcelona-Catalunya GP
Daniel Ricciardo shares heartfelt message after first Indy 500 visit brought back "childhood feelings"
Lando Norris reunites with Daniel Ricciardo for Indy 500 celebrations after disastrous Canadian GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Canadian GP
Lando Norris reunites with Daniel Ricciardo for Indy 500 celebrations after disastrous Canadian GP
Daniel Ricciardo says life feels "more real" after abrupt F1 exit
Formula 1
Formula 1
Canadian GP
Daniel Ricciardo says life feels "more real" after abrupt F1 exit
More from
McLaren
Why McLaren cannot fix its F1 car handling until 2027
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
9 h
Why McLaren cannot fix its F1 car handling until 2027
Oscar Piastri on his Singapore puncture: “Ironically, it probably helped”
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Oscar Piastri on his Singapore puncture: “Ironically, it probably helped”
Latest news
William Byron to run Jeff Gordon throwback Axalta scheme at Phoenix
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
20 min
William Byron to run Jeff Gordon throwback Axalta scheme at Phoenix
Alexander Rossi takes over IR-28 testing as IndyCar pushes new chassis to the limit at Sebring
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 36 min
Alexander Rossi takes over IR-28 testing as IndyCar pushes new chassis to the limit at Sebring
Daniel Suarez will return to Spire Motorsports for 2027 NASCAR Cup season
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
41 min
Daniel Suarez will return to Spire Motorsports for 2027 NASCAR Cup season
Spy shots of 2027 NASCAR Ford Mustang testing at Charlotte, but what's different?
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
3 h
Spy shots of 2027 NASCAR Ford Mustang testing at Charlotte, but what's different?
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe