Daniel Ricciardo has admitted he was surprised Mercedes didn’t consider him to replace Valtteri Bottas for 2019.
The Australian was the hottest commodity in the driver market last year in his final season with Red Bull and was openly considering approaches from other teams.
His stock was particularly high after the Monaco Grand Prix after a gritty performance saw him claim his second win in the first six races, putting him level with the two eventual championship contenders at that time.
“It was Seb [Vettel], Lewis [Hamilton] and me who had won two each. At that stage, no one else was really touching us,” he told Natalie Pinkham’s Pink podcast.
“I felt like my pull, so to speak, couldn’t have been any higher. In a way, I did expect probably more [interest] out of that, and at the time I think rightly so.”
As it was, however, Ferrari opted to promote youngster Charles Leclerc in place of Kimi Raikkonen while Mercedes eventually stuck with Bottas alongside Hamilton.
“He’s [Leclerc] a young up and coming prospect and maybe that was part of their plan all along, regardless of what my results were and what his results were,” Ricciardo claimed.
“With what Ferrari have done, I see it and I respect that because I’ve seen Red Bull do it, bringing the young kids through the programme. In a way, I think it’s about time.
“I guess the Mercedes one is probably a bit of a different situation. It’s a slightly different dynamic with the path they’ve chosen,” he commented.
“I guess for them it’s more conservative, but I can’t argue because it’s worked. Lewis has won Drivers’ Championships and the team has won Constructors’ Championships, so in a way, they’ve ticked all the boxes they need.”
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Ricciardo, who later decided to join Renault for 2019, did reveal frustration that he wasn’t more greatly considered by the top two teams.
“Yes – to answer it bluntly,” he told the Sky Sports reporter. “At the end of the day in the next 12 months I still think, and everybody would say this, that Mercedes and Ferrari are going to be the teams to beat.
“Maybe other teams could take a win here or there, but I think they’re still the teams to be with in the short term.”