Daniel Ricciardo has taken what he described as “one of the most difficult decisions” in his career after choosing to leave Red Bull and drive for Renault from 2019.
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Ricciardo and Red Bull had been bullish in recent weeks when asked about what many considered a routine contract extension. But the team announced on Friday the Australian had informed them he would be leaving at the end of the Formula One season, with his move to Renault confirmed shortly afterwards.
The 29-year-old has been with Red Bull since 2014 having made his F1 debut three years earlier with the now-defunct HRT. Ricciardo, who has also driven for Toro Rosso, has won seven races for his current team, including two victories this year, in China and Monaco. He is fourth in the 2018 drivers’ championship after a fourth-placed finish at last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
“I thought it was time for me to take on a fresh and new challenge,” Ricciardo said. “I realise there is a lot ahead in order to allow Renault to reach their target of competing at the highest level but I have been impressed by their progression in only two years, and I know each time Renault has been in the sport they eventually won. I hope to be able to help them in this journey and contribute on and off track.”
Renault confirmed Ricciardo has signed a two-year deal and will drive alongside Nico Hülkenberg. Ricciardo is no stranger to Renault, who have provided engines for Red Bull during his time at the team.
Red Bull’s team principal, Christian Horner, thanked Ricciardo for his efforts. “We fully respect Daniel’s decision to leave 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, the highlights of course being the seven wins and 29 podiums he has achieved so far with us.”
The signing of Ricciardo – who will replace Carlos Sainz Jr – is a statement of intent, according to Renault’s managing director, Cyril Abiteboul. “Daniel’s signing underscores our determination to accelerate our progress towards the forefront of the sport,” he said. “It is also a recognition of the work accomplished over the past two and a half seasons.
“Daniel’s undoubted talent and charisma are a huge bonus and statement for the team. We will have to repay his faith in us by delivering the best car possible. We welcome him to our growing team in 2019 with a great deal of pride but also humility.”
Daniel Ricciardo won seven grands prix at Red Bull
Daniel Ricciardo is leaving Red Bull at the end of the season to join Renault.
In July, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said the Australian, who is out of contract at the end of the season, was close to signing a new deal.
Ricciardo is fifth in the drivers' championship with two wins this season.
"It was probably one of the most difficult decisions to take in my career so far, but it was time for me to take on a fresh and new challenge," said the 29-year-old.
"There is a lot ahead in order to allow Renault to reach their target of competing at the highest level but I have been impressed by their progression in only two years.
"Each time Renault has been in the sport they eventually won. I hope to be able to help them in this journey and contribute on and off track."
Horner said Red Bull "respected" Ricciardo's decision and will "continue to evaluate the numerous options available to us" for his replacement.
He added that the team were "fully focused" on the remaining nine races.
Ricciardo, who has won in China and Monaco this year, had been linked with Mercedes and Ferrari, while McLaren and Renault both held talks with him.
He has won seven races and achieved 29 podium positions for Red Bull since replacing Mark Webber in 2014.
Team-mate Max Verstappen was given a lucrative new contract last autumn.
It made the 20-year-old Dutchman the third best-paid driver in F1 behind Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari, earning more than the $25m salary McLaren pay to two-time world champion Fernando Alonso.
Ricciardo has finished ahead of Verstappen in both their seasons as team-mates.
Bola.com, Jakarta - Pembalap Australia, Daniel Ricciardo , resmi bakal meninggalkan Red Bull pada akhir F1 2018. Dia hijrah ke Renault dengan kesepakatan kontrak berdurasi dua tahun mulai F1 2019.
Di Renault, Ricciardo bakal berduet dengan Nico Hulkenberg. Kepindahan ini sangat mengejutkan karena sebelumnya Ricciardo sempat mengisyaratkan akan memperpanjang kontrak dengan Red Bull.
"Ini mungkin salah satu keputusan tersulit sepanjang karier saya. Tapi, saya pikir ini saatnya mengambil tantangan baru dan segar," kata Ricciardo, seperti dilansir Crash, Jumat (3/8/2018).
"Saya menyadari jalan Renault untuk mencapai target berkompetisi di level tertinggi masih panjang. Tapi, saya terkesan dengan kemajuan mereka dalam dua tahun ini. Saya berharap bisa membantu mereka dalam perjalanan ini dan berkontribusi di dalam dan luar lintasan," kata Ricciardo, yang memenangi tujuh balapan bersama Red Bull.
Presiden Renault, Jerome Stoll, menyatakan Ricciardo merupakan pembalap yang tak bisa dilewatkan begitu saja. Menurutnya, Ricciardo menjadi bagian dari program jangka panjang untuk kembali membidik titel juara dunia F1.
"Renault memutuskan kembali ke pertarungan gelar juara dunia F1. Merekrut Daniel Ricciardo adalah peluang unik untuk Renault, dan tak bisa dilewatkan begitu saja. Kami menyambut kedatangan Daniel ke tim kami. Masih dalam proses. Tapi, kami sangat termotivasi," kata dia.
Kedatangan Daniel Ricciardo juga memastikan Carlos Sainz Jr bakal meninggalkan Renault pada akhir musim. Sainz datang ke Renault pada musim ini dengan status pinjaman selama setahun dari Red Bull.
Berita video prestasi lawan Timnas Indonesia U-23 di Asian Games 2018.
Daniel Ricciardo will leave Red Bull at the end of the season, with the Australian agreeing a two-year deal with Formula One rivals Renault.
The news comes as a major shock given that 29-year-old Ricciardo has been locked in contract negotiations with Red Bull throughout the year, with the expectation that he would re-sign with the team after missing out on seats with Mercedes and Ferrari.
But his move to Renault, which will cause a major shake-up to the grid for 2019 that leaves plenty of uncertainty over who will be driving where next season, sees him partner Nico Hulkenberg after the French marque announced the move.
F1 Hungarian Grand Prix in pictures 25 show all F1 Hungarian Grand Prix in pictures 1/25 Practice Getty Images 2/25 Practice Getty 3/25 Practice Getty Images 4/25 Practice Force India have been placed into administration amid serious financial concerns Getty 5/25 Qualifying Cars needed the full wet tyres after the second thunderstorm hit REUTERS 6/25 Qualifying Lewis Hamilton conquered the wet conditions in Budapest AFP/Getty 7/25 Qualifying Kimi Raikkonen ended up third after being leapfrogged by the two Mercedes AP 8/25 Qualifying Lewis Hamilton mastered the wet conditions to take pole position for the Hungarian grand Prix AFP/Getty 9/25 Qualifying Lewis Hamilton left it late to snatch pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix Getty 10/25 Qualifying Lewis Hamilton mastered the wet conditions like he has so many times before Reuters 11/25 Qualifying Lewis Hamilton celebrates after securing pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix AP 12/25 Qualifying Lewis Hamilton celebrates after taking pole position ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen Reuters 13/25 Hungarian Grand Prix Fans of Max Verstappen cheer on the young Dutchman at the Hungaroring Getty 14/25 Hungarian Grand Prix Fernando Alonso celebrated his 37th birthday on race day Getty 15/25 Hungarian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton waves to the crowd ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix Reuters 16/25 Hungarian Grand Prix Sebastian Vettel prepares to climb into his Ferrari Getty 17/25 Hungarian Grand Prix Max Verstappen prepares for the start of the Hungarian Grand Prix Getty 18/25 Hungarian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton leads the field into turn one Getty 19/25 Hungarian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton leads Valtteri Bottas at the start of the race AFP/Getty 20/25 Hungarian Grand Prix Daniel Ricciardo charged through the field from 16th to fifth by his first stop Getty 21/25 Hungarian Grand Prix Sebastian Vettel passes Kimi Raikkonen on the outside of turn two Getty 22/25 Hungarian Grand Prix A furious Max Verstappen makes his way back to the pits after retiring Getty 23/25 Hungarian Grand Prix Valtteri Bottas crashed twice late on to drop him from second to fifth EPA 24/25 Hungarian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton crosses the line to win the Hungarian Grand Prix AFP/Getty 25/25 Hungarian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton celebrates winning the Hungarian Grand Prix AFP/Getty 1/25 Practice Getty Images 2/25 Practice Getty 3/25 Practice Getty Images 4/25 Practice Force India have been placed into administration amid serious financial concerns Getty 5/25 Qualifying Cars needed the full wet tyres after the second thunderstorm hit REUTERS 6/25 Qualifying Lewis Hamilton conquered the wet conditions in Budapest AFP/Getty 7/25 Qualifying Kimi Raikkonen ended up third after being leapfrogged by the two Mercedes AP 8/25 Qualifying Lewis Hamilton mastered the wet conditions to take pole position for the Hungarian grand Prix AFP/Getty 9/25 Qualifying Lewis Hamilton left it late to snatch pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix Getty 10/25 Qualifying Lewis Hamilton mastered the wet conditions like he has so many times before Reuters 11/25 Qualifying Lewis Hamilton celebrates after securing pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix AP 12/25 Qualifying Lewis Hamilton celebrates after taking pole position ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen Reuters 13/25 Hungarian Grand Prix Fans of Max Verstappen cheer on the young Dutchman at the Hungaroring Getty 14/25 Hungarian Grand Prix Fernando Alonso celebrated his 37th birthday on race day Getty 15/25 Hungarian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton waves to the crowd ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix Reuters 16/25 Hungarian Grand Prix Sebastian Vettel prepares to climb into his Ferrari Getty 17/25 Hungarian Grand Prix Max Verstappen prepares for the start of the Hungarian Grand Prix Getty 18/25 Hungarian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton leads the field into turn one Getty 19/25 Hungarian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton leads Valtteri Bottas at the start of the race AFP/Getty 20/25 Hungarian Grand Prix Daniel Ricciardo charged through the field from 16th to fifth by his first stop Getty 21/25 Hungarian Grand Prix Sebastian Vettel passes Kimi Raikkonen on the outside of turn two Getty 22/25 Hungarian Grand Prix A furious Max Verstappen makes his way back to the pits after retiring Getty 23/25 Hungarian Grand Prix Valtteri Bottas crashed twice late on to drop him from second to fifth EPA 24/25 Hungarian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton crosses the line to win the Hungarian Grand Prix AFP/Getty 25/25 Hungarian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton celebrates winning the Hungarian Grand Prix AFP/Getty
"It was probably one of the most difficult decisions to take in my career so far,” Ricciardo said. “But I thought that it was time for me to take on a fresh and new challenge.
“I realise that there is a lot ahead in order to allow Renault to reach their target of competing at the highest level but I have been impressed by their progression in only two years, and I know that each time Renault has been in the sport they eventually won. I hope to be able to help them in this journey and contribute on and off track."
Jérôme Stoll, president of Renault Sport Racing, claimed that the acquisition of Ricciardo proves that the team are continuing on their path towards fighting for grand prix wins and world championships. “Renault decided to come back to Formula One to fight for World Championships,” Stoll said. “Signing Daniel Ricciardo is a unique opportunity for the Groupe Renault towards this objective that could not be missed. We welcome Daniel’s arrival to our team, still in the making, but more motivated than ever.”
Renault managing director Cyril Abiteboul added: “Daniel’s signing underscores our determination to accelerate our progress towards the forefront of the sport. It is also a recognition of the work accomplished over the past two and a half seasons.
“Daniel’s undoubted talent and charisma are a huge bonus and statement for the team. We will have to repay his faith in us by delivering the best car possible. We welcome him to our growing team in 2019 with a great deal of pride, but also humility.”
The Australian has grown into one of the most popular drivers on the grid, largely due to his beaming smile that can be seen around the paddock, but also due to his aggressive-yet-controlled style that has seen him pull-off some of the most eye-catching overtakes in recent seasons. This was seen most recently at last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix where Ricciardo recovered from a poor start that dropped him to 16th to finish fourth, following a series of breath-taking overtakes into turn one.
But it was expected that Ricciardo’s new deal would be announced before the weekend was complete, and the ensuing silence from both team and driver increased suspicions that all was not well in negotiations.
That said, Ricciardo’s comments after testing this week did not suggest he was about to inform the team of his desire to leave. “It will definitely be done by Spa,” Ricciardo told Sky Sports after mid-season testing in Budapest on Wednesday. “Whether it gets announced over the summer break or in Spa [I don't know].
“It's just a little bit of fine tuning here and there. It's all good. You will hear something soon, I'm sure.”
But Red Bull announced his shock departure on Friday afternoon with shock statement, and team principal Christian Horner gave the move his blessing after their four-year stint together.
“We fully respect Daniel’s decision to leave Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and we wish him all the best in his future,” Horner 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.”
Ricciardo graduated to the senior Red Bull team from their sister Toro Rosso outfit in 2014 to replace Ferrari-bound Sebastian Vettel, and has gone on to claim seven race wins for the energy drink-backed team as well as securing 29 podium finishes.
With Mercedes signing up reigning world champions Lewis Hamilton to a new two-year deal until 2020 an teammate Valtteri Bottas for next season, Ricciardo was linked with replacing Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari. But Sauber’s Charles Leclerc has since emerged as the favourite to rival Raikkonen to partner Vettel next year, and while McLaren expressed an interest in Ricciardo, he has elected to move to factory outfit Renault that will see him remain with the power unit that Red Bull will ditch at the end of the year.
The announcement means that Carlos Sainz will be out of his seat next season, with McLaren understood to be keen on the Spaniard to replace the struggling Stoffel Vandoorne.
As for Red Bull, they could look to bring Sainz back into the mix after he left Toro Rosso in 2017 to join the French manufacturer, with Max Verstappen set to become their No 1 driver next season after he committed his future to the team with a new deal earlier in the year.
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