#‘I took a bit of a gamble’ – Ricciardo reflects on decision to leave Red Bull

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‘I took a bit of a gamble’ – Ricciardo reflects on decision to leave Red Bull, and if he has any regrets

‘I took a bit of a gamble’ – Ricciardo reflects on decision to leave Red Bull, and if he has any regrets

Daniel Ricciardo insists he has no regrets about leaving Red Bull at the end of the 2018 season, despite moves to Renault and most recently McLaren yielding comparatively limited success. After debuting with Hispania in 2011 and swiftly moving over to Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri), Ricciardo secured promotion to Red Bull for 2014, going on to claim three pole positions and seven race victories…

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I took a bit of a gamble Ricciardo reflects on decision to leave Red Bull and if he has any regrets

Daniel Ricciardo insists he has no regrets about leaving Red Bull at the end of the 2018 season, despite moves to Renault and most recently McLaren yielding comparatively limited success. After debuting with Hispania in 2011 and swiftly moving over to Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri), Ricciardo secured promotion to Red Bull for 2014, going on to claim three pole positions and seven race victories during his time at the squad. READ MORE: ‘It was something I couldn’t really grasp’ – Ricciardo pinpoints the main cause of his struggles during two-year stint at McLaren However, in 2018, and after younger team mate Max Verstappen had signed a lengthy new contract, Ricciardo opted to depart the team in favour of a fresh start at Renault, a two-year stint that brought a couple of podium finishes, before embarking on another new adventure with McLaren. While Ricciardo claimed a victory during his first season racing for McLaren at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix, it proved to be the highlight of an otherwise difficult spell that saw the two parties go their separate ways after the 2022 campaign – one year before his contract was due to expire. Ricciardo won seven races for Red Bull, including three during his first season with the team in 2014 Recently appearing on F1's Beyond The Grid podcast, Ricciardo was asked if he ever pondered what might have been had he stuck with Red Bull, given that Verstappen has claimed 30 wins and two world titles since his exit. “I don’t look at it like that, because nothing is sure. If I stayed there the last four years, could I say I would have had more podiums than I’ve had? What have I had, maybe three or something? Yeah, I’m confident to say I would have had more podiums than I’ve had,” said Ricciardo, who has rejoined Red Bull in a third driver role for 2023. READ MORE: From battling in Baku to magic in Monaco – Daniel Ricciardo’s 8 Grand Prix wins ranked “But you just don’t know. Obviously at the time I felt like it was right for me. I felt like I needed a change and I needed to kind of just remove myself a bit. If I continued [at Red Bull], would that urge have grown? Would I have become, let’s say, more curious or less happy, or whatever? “It’s not a sure thing that it would have been great if I stayed. I don’t look back and say, ‘Man, I shouldn’t have [left]’. But, of course, I can be honest with myself and say, ‘Yeah, I took a little bit of a gamble on myself’.” This feature is currently not available because you need to provide consent to functional cookies. Please update your cookie preferences Watch: Daniel Ricciardo sending it Ricciardo added that he remains proud of elements from his time at Renault and McLaren, having returned the former to the podium and the latter to winning ways, while taking a philosophical approach to his recent struggles. “I still feel like the Renault [move] was pretty good, especially 2020 – [that was] one of the best seasons I’ve driven in F1. To get the team back on the podium, I was very proud of that,” he commented. ANALYSIS: Why are Ricciardo and Red Bull reuniting for 2023? “But obviously the McLaren one, even with the win… the win was a high and I can’t remove that, I can’t ignore that. I can look and say, ‘I tried as well with this one [and] it didn’t quite work out’. “You live and you learn, but I don’t look back with regret. I just say, ‘Okay, it was a challenge I took on, and it didn’t work out how I hoped'.” To hear Ricciardo’s full Beyond The Grid interview – which also covers his new role at Red Bull, his advice for McLaren replacement Oscar Piastri and much, much more – hit go in the player below, or head here to catch it on your preferred platform. via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

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Ricciardo confirms where and when hes set to hit the track in Red Bulls 2023 F1 car

Daniel Ricciardo has revealed that he is set to get his first taste of the RB19 following July’s British Grand Prix, as part of the Australian’s wide-ranging third driver duties for Red Bull. Ricciardo returned to Red Bull in a supporting role for 2023 after parting ways with McLaren at the end of the 2022 season, having experienced two rollercoaster campaigns at the Woking team. READ MORE: Ricciardo says scarcity of free F1 seats for 2024 ‘doesn’t scare me’ Following plenty of simulator sessions and time spent trackside providing back-up to full-time drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, it won't be long before Ricciardo gets back behind the wheel himself. “I’ve been in the simulator, but I will drive the RB19 in July after the Silverstone race – I’m getting a Pirelli test,” Ricciardo confirmed in an interview with ESPN this week. Ricciardo was back in the F1 paddock in Miami, where he bumped into former boss Zak Brown “Then maybe I’ll get another one after Monza as well in September. A couple of months away [and] I’ll get to feel what it’s like.” He continued: “I’m certainly excited to drive a fast car, but also a car that maybe still feels familiar for me – it does a little bit in the sim. But I’m just excited to drive again and to just try to remind a team obviously I once had a lot of success with that I can still turn a fast lap.” WATCH: Ricciardo back behind the wheel with Red Bull for epic Australian road trip Indeed, Ricciardo has claimed eight F1 victories to date – seven from his five-season stint at the senior Red Bull team – and the 33-year-old made clear that, while he is enjoying a break from the action, the desire is there to get back on the grid and write a new chapter of success. “I’m definitely still in like a really good place – I’m very happy with this,” he said of his reserve duties. “Does it mean that I’m happy doing this for the next two or three years? Probably not. But I think for this year it’s certainly a good thing for me. This feature is currently not available because you need to provide consent to functional cookies. Please update your cookie preferences Watch: Daniel Ricciardo sending it “I do want to… Right now, I do want to get back on the grid next year. I do feel like there’s certainly some unfinished business. I’m staying like in the loop and staying prepared and whatever. “I’m also ticking a few boxes that if I do get back on the grid next year, and I’m on the grid for the next, whatever, five years, for example, maybe there’s things that I won’t get a chance to do. I want to tick some boxes for myself for like some self-fulfilment. READ MORE: ‘I took a bit of a gamble’ – Ricciardo reflects on decision to leave Red Bull, and if he has any regrets “The New York marathon got mentioned. I had a few friends run it last year and I was like, ‘That looks pretty cool’. There’s these sort of things that I’m thinking about and obviously in a regular season I wouldn’t get the chance to do, so I kind of want to put myself out there and do some things like that this year.” In addition to his planned outings in the RB19 at Silverstone and Monza, Ricciardo is due to tackle the Nordschleife aboard an older Red Bull F1 machine during showrun activities at the 12h Nurburgring event in September. via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com