Daniel Ricciardo’s Final Race with Renault Reminds Him of Red Bull Farewell

Daniel Ricciardo is part of a series of driver shuffles going into next season. Along with Vettel, Sainz, among others, he is celebrating his last race with his current team in Abu Dhabi. The Australian will race for McLaren next season.

Getting behind the wheel of the car on Friday made him realize that his time with the team was drawing to a close. Comparing it with his departure from Red Bull in 2018, he said –

“To be honest, it kind of hit me more today when I jumped in the car and I was like, ‘Oh, this is [the last weekend]’. It took me back to a couple of years with Red Bull, the last weekend and all that.”

The Renault ace wants to give his team a proper farewell by delivering a favorable result for the team in Abu Dhabi, something that they can cheer about at the afterparty.

“Right now I just want to do the best I can and give us a reason to have a few glasses of champagne or something up on the roof on Sunday night and then we’ll I’m sure enjoy a little farewell.”

What’s at stake for Daniel Ricciardo in Abu Dhabi?

It’s still all to play for him and his team. Courtesy of Perez’s dramatic win in Sakhir, the Mexican places 13 points ahead of him in fourth. If Ricciardo wants to overtake him in the driver’s standings, he will need a podium finish at the season finale. He would also need Perez to finish the race with no points.

As for the Constructor’s battle, Renault will need a miraculous team result to overtake Racing Point for third. They are also just 12 points behind his future McLaren team.

Daniel is his usual optimistic self going into the Qualifying session on Saturday.

“There were, I think, four cars within two-thousandths of a second of each other or something. So hopefully quali’s like that – obviously not for me but for the others behind me!”

Hopefully, the cheerful Aussie can end his fruitful stay with Renault on a sweet note. Although he could not bring a championship to the team during his stint, he uplifted the team. He brought back podiums and smiles after a long while to the French manufacturers.