Daniel Ricciardo’s Dark Past Returns as Ex-Boss Regrets “Bad Decision” of Signing Him

The entire world of Formula 1 hardly ever agrees on a particular subject. However, everyone is on the same page about the disrespectful treatment of Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren. His entire fanbase united to condemn McLaren for their actions when they terminated Ricciardo’s contract. However, what if we tell you it was the Australian himself to blame for it?

No, we are not talking about his performances in the McLaren Challenger. We are talking about his actions much before he joined McLaren and how it resulted in him driving for AlphaTauri. Let us give you the logic behind it, according to Ricciardo’s Renault ex-boss.

Cyril Abiteboul expresses his regret about singing Daniel Ricciardo at Renault

The Honey Badger was pipped to be a future World Champion, but all those expectations were dialed down when he shockingly left Red Bull for Renault. It was a big signing for Renault to get a driver of Ricciardo’s caliber and popularity, which still pays dividends, to drive for them. However, as quoted by Auto Journal, the then-boss, Cyril Abiteboul, believed he left Renault too early for McLaren.

“He has a timing problem, Ricciardo, all the time: he left us too early, and he left McLaren too early,” said the Renault boss. “I know very well deep down, even if we can’t say to him: ‘Come back next year’, that it was too early.” (Translated via Google)

The French boss also revealed how signing Ricciardo then and for the duration was a bad idea and the consequences of which he faced as well. He added, “Because we are signing a two-year contract, and I knew that it would ultimately highlight the fact that the team was not yet at the required level and that it could potentially be interpreted as a bad decision. Even today I’m divided, but on the other hand, I didn’t get the predictions wrong.”

Read More: “Brought Me Back to Normal Daniel:” Ricciardo Outlines the Cathartic Process That Made Him Shrug Off Horrors of McLaren Past

However, such is the nature of Formula 1, as everyone wants instant results with little to no time to adapt. A brutal reality Ricciardo has to face even now, with all his experience and rapport.

Daniel Ricciardo outlines the unforgiving nature at Red Bull as he prepared for his F1 return

The Australian received a rare lease on his F1 life after the Red Bull bosses required him to take on racing duties at the sister team. Ricciardo might not have been looking forward to it, but he was prepared, and not just physically. Ricciardo was prepared to go through a brutally harsh assessment of his racing abilities despite his long break from action because such are the standards in Red Bull’s extended family.

Ricciardo said, “They expect results, performance, but I think it’s hard to define that until I’m in the car. Will it be a P8? Will it be a P14? I don’t think there’s any pressure until the summer break. But I don’t expect a bad start either.”

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Perhaps this outlook and his preparedness are exactly how he is delivering the results expected of him because Ricciardo is definitely earning all the respect he lost in the last couple of seasons.