Daniel Ricciardo insists he doesn’t look back on his Red Bull days with any sense of regret, claiming he did all that he could.
The Australian made his mark on the Milton Keynes-based outfit by beating Sebastian Vettel after stepping up to replace Mark Webber in 2014, winning seven times and finishing third in the Drivers’ Championship twice.
However, worries about Red Bull’s change to Honda engines and the need for a change are the official reasons Ricciardo has given for leaving at the end of last season for pastures new at Renault.
“No, I wouldn’t say any regrets, not at all actually,” he told Racer. “I guess I never really had many other options anyway, so it’s not like I could have signed with Mercedes two years ago and I didn’t want to or whatever. So no regrets. I’m happy.
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“For sure I look at last year and 2015, there’s been some frustrating years for sure, but I’m always happy with the way I approach it. I don’t look back and say, ‘Ah, if I would have worked harder then I wouldn’t be in this position and I would have made things better for myself.’
“I don’t ever feel like I’ve cheated myself if you know what I mean, and some of my best weekends have been when I’ve been more chilled about it and less intense. But I think I’ve found that balance, so no regrets.”
On Monday, Renault released the first official images of Ricciardo wearing the black and yellow overalls ahead of the 2019 season, a year that will go a long way to deciding if his desire for a fresh challenge was the right call.
