Daniel Ricciardo on Ferrari F1 Talks: How Close He Came to Signing & Sebastian Vettel’s Role

Daniel Ricciardo had been heavily linked with a move to Scuderia Ferrari on several occasions. However, the deal never gets over the line. This isn’t uncommon in F1, however, Ricciardo’s potential move to the prancing horses was talked about extensively. Fans still look back and wonder about what could have been.

Meanwhile, in an interview, the Honey Badger recalled the contacts he had with Scuderia Ferrari. He went in on why he ended up joining Renault in 2018.

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Ricciardo on contacts with Scuderia Ferrari

As quoted by Motorsport, when asked if he had ever been in contact with Scuderia Ferrari, Daniel Ricciardo replied: “A while ago, yes, but we never sat around a desk with papers to sign, nothing like that.”

“There was some small talk, some quick conversations, but we never got to the point where we talked about contracts. So, there was something, but we never got to a second step,” added the Australian. (Quotes translated via Google)

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Sebastian Vettel lured Daniel Ricciardo to join Ferrari in 2018

After rejecting a contract extension with the Milton Keynes-based team during the 2018 season, many thought Daniel Ricciardo would join Scuderia Ferrari.

The Austrian was heavily linked to replace Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari after the latter joined Alfa Romeo. In addition, considering Riccardo’s Italian background, the Maranello-based team was poised to be the next team for the Australian. However, the Honey Badger ended up joining Renault.

Meanwhile, Ricciardo recalled before joining Renault there were offers from other teams, including Mercedes and Ferrari, and he was lured to make a move to the Italian team after witnessing Vettel fighting for the championship.

“In my head, it was one of the options, especially when the team was fighting for the championship while Seb was there. The team was in a good position,” said Daniel Ricciardo.

“So surely Ferrari and Mercedes were the first two teams to be evaluated outside of Red Bull. They were the only truly desirable teams, but I always tried not to be influenced too much by emotion, knowing my Italian origins.”

Can we witness Daniel Ricciardo driving for Ferrari in near future? What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.