CEO Zak Brown believes McLaren’s lack of competitiveness in the period through Formula 1’s triple-header of races likely cost them the chance to sign Daniel Ricciardo, who will move to Renault for 2019.
The Australian was linked to the British team around the French Grand Prix last month, with Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko revealing “big money” was being offered for what many assumed to be the seat held by Fernando Alonso.
However, at the time it coincided with several retirements and poor pace as McLaren often sat second-to-last in the pecking order just as they were in conversations with the soon-to-be ex-Red Bull man.
“I think it was probably pretty close between us and Renault,” Brown told RACER. “Had we been running more competitively I think that would have increased our odds.”
The McLaren chief never tried to hide his interest in signing the 29-year-old and revealed just how far their efforts to attract him went.
“We had a couple of meetings and we are big fans of Daniel,” he said. “I think he’s a great guy, I think he’s a great race car driver.
“How close we came to getting him, I think only Daniel knows the answer to that question,” he added. “Ultimately Daniel would be best to tell you how close.”
Brown also wasn’t as surprised as many when the news was confirmed last Friday, suggesting he felt a “strong desire” from Ricciardo to leave Red Bull.
His decision to join Renault is still being considered bold by many, however, and former driver at Enstone, Jolyon Palmer, does have some concerns.
“To be honest, it’s a backwards move for Ricciardo,” the Briton told BBC Radio 5 Live. “They’re a team that’s on the up but they are currently behind, there’s no two ways about it.”
The ex-GP2 champion does think there is one factor which was heavily motivating the seven-time race winner’s wish for a new challenge.
“At Red Bull, I felt – and he probably felt – that he was just starting to slide into Verstappen’s shadow,” Palmer claimed. “And that’s a dangerous place to be.”
“He’s come into a team [at Renault] that will be really excited to have him and they’ll be really pinning a lot of hopes on him to move forwards.
“It’s a little bit of the whole dynamic within the team which is better for him at Renault even if they’re technically a little bit behind.”
