Ricciardo responds to Marko’s ‘blindsided’ statement

Daniel Ricciardo has come out with his own statement in response to Red Bull chief, Helmut Marko, claiming that he was left blindsided by the Australian’s decision. He admitted that the decision was rushed a bit.

“It is not something I knew for weeks or months. So, it was all pretty much when it got announced right before the break,” said Ricciardo. “Renault was part of my considerations for a bit of time, they didn’t come out of nowhere in the last hour.”

Ricciardo also revealed that he was undecided going into the mid-season break and did a lot of introspection. “I was really torn with what to do and that process took time.”

“Still in the race weekend in Budapest, I wasn’t sure what I was going to be doing. I was trying to understand why. When I weighed it up, the change of setting, a new challenge, is probably the answer I needed.”

However, the real challenge for Ricciardo was to reveal his decision to Marko. And he admitted that he spent a few ‘sleepless’ nights in trying to decide how to do it.

He also refuted Marko’s claims of being surprised by the move. “He [Marko] has known me for 10 years and I think he’d sensed at times some frustration or maybe things changing in me, so I don’t think it completely surprised him,” said Ricciardo.

“He was a little bit disappointed I was moving on. It was nice to know I was wanted there. It was all calm and respectful, so it was all I could ask for.”

Another thing alleged by Red Bull was the fact that Ricciardo did not want to race with Dutchman, Max Verstappen, anymore as he felt threatened by his status within the team.

However, he has shot down those accusations. “No is the short answer,” stated Ricciardo. “As far as equality went in the team, from the outside people thought that but hand on heart there was never any concern or sign of that,” he signed off.