Ricciardo wishes he had stayed at Red Bull, but won’t claim he would have been champion

Daniel Ricciardo says he wishes he had stayed at Red Bull when he left for Renault in 2018, but will not claim that staying would have made him world champion. Asked on the Beyond The Grid podcast whether he regretted the move, he described it as a pivotal decision.

By the time he left in 2018, Ricciardo had been part of the Red Bull fold for a decade, dating back to his junior career. He said part of his reason for leaving was that he felt comfortable and complacent and wanted to try something different. He had won twice in the first half of 2018 and also took pole during the 2018 season.

Ricciardo failed to score a podium with Renault in 2019. Looking back, he regards staying at Red Bull as his best opportunity to become champion. But he said he could not know whether he would have kept pace with Max Verstappen as the Dutchman continued to improve and build momentum. For Ricciardo, how his career might have unfolded at Red Bull remains the one unknown.