Ricciardo: “McLaren was the team that had progressed the most”

Included in the game of musical chairs that took place in F1 during the pause in motorsport, Daniel Ricciardo therefore made the choice to leave Renault at the end of the year to try your luck with Woking.

A change of direction for the Australian, which will put an end to its relationship begun with the Losange in 2018, an alliance which will not have had the expected resonance for both parties. With the nuance, the season has been completely turned upside down this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, which will not have given the Ricciardo – Renault team the opportunity to express themselves in a normal context.

For the old pilot Red Bull, the attraction of McLaren notably came from the recovery started by the British team in 2019.

“You get arguments from the team talking to you and to a certain extent, especially now without any racing or any evidence, other than last year, you have to trust, describes Ricciardo on the F1 Nation podcast.

But which scenario excites you more than the other? You will obviously take into account what you are feeling and thinking at that moment. If I go back to last year, this is our best reference for the moment.

McLaren was the team that made the most “noise”. Mercedes won the championship again but it was clear to most people that McLaren was the team that had made the most progress. »

Ricciardo also recalls that the sporting future, with the transition to Power Unit Mercedes in 2021, could smile at Woking but confirms that his choice was not the easiest.

« Talking about it is definitely complicated, because it was by no means an easy decision, as you can imagine, and not having a lot of material from 2020 was quite difficult. » continues the Australian.

However, everything is not idyllic in the picture, McLaren having recently announced job cuts within the group, particularly affecting the racing team. Woking could also sell shares in the team to find new funding.