Daniel Ricciardo transferred to Renault for two seasons

Renault caught a very big fish. The French team will line up for two years Daniel Ricciardo, from the 2019 season of Formula 1, as indicated in a press release released on Friday, an hour after the announcement of the Australian's departure from Red Bull.

Officially returned to F1 in 2016, the Losange recruits its first Grand Prix winner since Robert Kubica in 2010. « It was without a doubt one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make in my career., explains the man with seven victories in F1, but I think it was the right time for me to embark on a new challenge.

We are delighted to announce that @danielricciardo will join @RenaultSportF1 as race driver from 2019. Full report https://t.co/9LUkd22abr#RSspirit pic.twitter.com/OIXUbjIoRm

— Renault Sport F1 (@RenaultSportF1) August 3

I know that there remains a lot of work to enable Renault to achieve its objective, which is to be at the highest level but I have been impressed by their progress in just two years and I know that every time Renault has taken on this type of challenge, they have ultimately succeeded. I hope to be able to help them on this journey, both on and off the track. »

Managing Director of the Yellow and Black in F1, Cyril Abiteboul see there « the sign of our determination to accelerate our pace of progression towards the top of the ranking. It is also recognition of the work accomplished over the past two and a half seasons. (9th in 2016 with 8 points, 6th in 2017 with 57 points). Daniel's undeniable talent and charisma oblige us. We will have to surpass ourselves to give him the best car possible. It is with pride but also humility that we will welcome Daniel within our young team in 2019.”

Jerome Stoll, the President of Renault Sport Racing, believes that the arrival of Daniel Ricciardo is « a unique opportunity to progress towards the objective (of World Champion), and Renault could not miss this opportunity. We are happy to welcome Daniel to our team, certainly still under construction, but more motivated than ever. »

Nico Hulkenberg was quick to congratulate his rival and future teammate in 2019:

Welcome to the family Brooo..
Looking forward to go hunting together next year! @danielricciardo #F1 #RSspirit pic.twitter.com/4qs4QUZsg1

- Nico Hülkenberg (@HulkHulkenberg) August 3

Daniel Ricciardo has defied all the predictions, which predicted a future with the Anglo-Austrian team. The pilot himself brilliantly covered his tracks, explaining at the end of July that he was going “definitely stay” with the team managed by Christian Horner. During the French Grand Prix, the winner of the Chinese and Monaco GPs this year also revealed that the McLaren track represented “some interest”. Finally, his lack of comments in relation to Renault could have alerted…