Ricciardo not fooled by Hulkenberg's record
Daniel Ricciardo will not be fooled by 2019 Renault Formula 1 teammate Nico Hulkenberg's record without a podium because he believes the German is "not that level of driver".
Despite being widely regarded as one of the most impressive drivers on the F1 grid, as well as having won the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2015, Hulkenberg has yet to appear on the podium in 156 grands prix starts.
Ricciardo has left Red Bull, where he scored seven wins and 29 podiums during a five-year spell at the team, to partner Hulkenberg at the Renault works team.
He says he will need the happy memories of his time and success at Red Bull to ease the transition at his new team and beat Hulkenberg.
"I'll certainly take a lot of the highs with me and take them with me as confidence moving to Renault," Ricciardo told Motorsport.com.
"And I'll need that as well because of Nico.
"I think that everyone who knows F1 knows his calibre. From the outside, you can think that he's done 200 races or whatever and never had a podium, but we all know he isn't that level of driver.
"So I know I'll need to bring all of this, not only to beat him, but also to help fast-track the team to progress."
Ricciardo's final season with Red Bull was marred by reliability problems and he was comprehensively defeated by teammate Max Verstappen in the championship.
However, his 2018 highlights include a long-awaited win in Monaco despite an MGU-K failure, and Ricciardo says memories like that are very powerful.
"I'll still hold onto Monaco forever because the aftermath of all that was the biggest high I've ever had," Ricciardo said.
"Walking back into the Energy Station that day after doing all the press - just seeing everyone…It was full, and I got a standing ovation, and I was so proud that everyone was so happy for me.
"I do this for myself, this sport, and the day I stop loving it I'll stop. Having that effect and making so many other people happy, that was awesome.
"That moment made me feel like I'm not just doing this for myself."
Share Or Save This Story
Alfa Romeo must do better in "chaotic" races - Vasseur
Honda: Verstappen relationship 'like a young Senna'
Key team personnel shouldn't be F1 boss - Ferrari
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
Daniel Ricciardo says life feels "more real" after abrupt F1 exit
“I went back to the car and cried” – Esteban Ocon opens up about his unexpected year on F1 sidelines
You Ask The Questions: Robert Kubica
On this day: Michael Schumacher’s final unsportsmanlike manoeuvre
"We're stuck with what we've got" – Why Kimi Antonelli can't revert to previous Mercedes spec in Singapore
Honda “super bad” in Indonesian GP practice after falling behind 2025 pace
Max Verstappen’s one-lap gamble – and what Pirelli reveals about his Singapore sprint pole
In effort to avoid the rain, NASCAR changes practice and qualifying schedule for Charlotte
Why Red Bull's 'crazy' power unit success matters so much for F1
No denying it now – the one reason why F1’s ‘horrible’ start in Malaysia could be a good thing
The greatest F1 campaigns with no wins
Three kings: F1's generational stars shone at Sepang
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.
Top Comments