Daniel Ricciardo has suggested there was “more risk” in him staying at Red Bull than joining Renault in 2019.
The Australian has had a tricky start since his much talked about switch for this season, but there have been recent signs of progress, particularly after finishing sixth in Canada.
Sunday’s French Grand Prix ended in disappointment as a 10-second penalty dropped him out of the points following two final lap duels on the Mistral Straight.
But speaking at his first race with Renault at their home event, he again reiterated his decisions for joining.
“It was the biggest thing I have done, even bigger than the move to Europe [as a teenager],” he told the Guardian.
“I didn’t feel there was much room to build with Red Bull any more. I thought there was more risk staying.”
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The Enstone-based team still has big ambitions of rekindling their championship glory days with Fernando Alonso, and sees 2021 as an opportunity to make that jump back to the front.
For Ricciardo, the success of a similar move also drove his thinking.
“Renault excited me, what Lewis did with Mercedes – if I was able to do that – that was instant motivation for me,” he said.
“One thing I really didn’t want was for people to say I just signed for Renault to chase a pay cheque.
“That wasn’t the truth. I feel I have an obligation to make it work.”