F1 BIG NEWS DANIEL RICCIARDO TO LEAVE RBR TO JOIN RENAULT

Just in case you slept through the biggest news in F1 so far this year, or are only just waking to said news it broke last night that Aussie F1 ACE Daniel Ricciardo is to leave Aston Martin Red Bull Racing for Renault Sport F1 at the end of this years series.  It’s been widely touted that the RBR Ricciardo relationship has been stretch well beyond repair, and it was thought he’d move across to a Ferrari seat.

The Renault move has surprised a lot of people and only time will tell if it is a good move, no doubt Renault have lifted their game in the past two years and are moving forward, although RBR are extremely happy to see the end of the Renault engine agreement at the end of this season after all the issues this year.

We’ve brought together both RBR and Renault’s press releases for you to have a read over and make up your own mind on this huge change.

The Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Release came out first:

Daniel Ricciardo to leave Aston Martin Red Bull Racing at the end of 2018

Daniel Ricciardo has advised Aston Martin Red Bull Racing that he is to leave the Team at the end of the 2018 season.

Having joined the Red Bull family in 2008 as a member of the Red Bull Junior Team, with whom he won numerous junior titles, Daniel made his F1 debut in 2011 at the British Grand Prix. After two seasons with Scuderia Toro Rosso, Daniel joined us in 2014 and to date has brought the team seven victories, 29 podium finishes, two pole positions and 904 championship points.

Commenting on Daniel’s decision, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner said: “We fully respect Daniel’s decision to leave Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and we wish him all the best in his future. 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.

And then Renault put out this release around 37 mins later:

Renault Sport Formula One Team is pleased to confirm Daniel Ricciardo will join the team from the 2019 season. He will team up with current driver Nico Hülkenberg.

Twenty-nine-year-old Daniel, who hails from Perth, Australia, joins Renault Sport Formula One Team for the next two seasons.

Daniel has secured seven Grands Prix wins and stepped onto the podium 29 times. He is already very familiar with the Renault family, having driven in Renault junior series between 2007 and 2011 and has been powered by Renault engines in F1 since 2014.

Jérôme Stoll, President, Renault Sport Racing: 
“Renault decided to come back to Formula One to fight for World Championships. 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.”

Cyril Abiteboul, Managing Director, Renault Sport Racing: 
“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.”

Daniel Ricciardo: 
“It was probably one of the most difficult decisions to take in my career so far. 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.”

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