Renault admits frustration that the impact of Covid-19 led to Daniel Ricciardo's early decision to join McLaren in 2021.
It was back in May, during the shutdown, that Ferrari triggered moves in the driver market by opting to drop Sebastian Vettel and chose Carlos Sainz as his replacement for next year.
Aware that the Spaniard could depart, McLaren already had Ricciardo, who they'd unsuccessfully tried to sign in 2018, lined up, with the Australian's move actually announced just before the Scuderia confirmed Sainz.
As the revised 2020 season has progressed, however, Renault and Ricciardo have shown real progress, claiming two podiums at the Nurburgring and Imola.
And sporting director Alan Permane acknowledges it is disappointing to achieve those gains only to see Daniel leave at the end of the season.
“Pre-COVID, when he would come to the factory and the whole team would be gathered in the race shop, you could tell there’s just love from everyone for him,” he told the Beyond the Grid F1 podcast.
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“I tell him every week it’s not too late to change his mind. Seriously, I do!
“Of course, it’s tongue-in-cheek and I know he can’t change his mind, and he doesn’t even pretend to say he would even consider it out of respect to his new team and all that.
“But who knows, if this had been a normal season and people weren’t making their minds up about team changes before we had even really turned a wheel, who knows where we would be now?
“But we are [where we are] so we just have to deal with that, and without that, we wouldn’t have Fernando Alonso coming back. So one door closes, another one opens for the team if you like.”
As for Ricciardo, he remains fully behind his call to change teams for the second time in three years.
“Obviously because I made the decision before the season started, a lot of the rationale was what McLaren did last year in 2019,” he told Channel 4.
“They made, in my eyes, the biggest step out of any team and I saw them make this big step with relatively young drivers. It was Lando [Norris]’s first year and Carlos had been around a bit, but I didn’t really feel like there was a veteran there.
“Everything just felt like it was in the right direction and just a massive ball of potential, and I think they just scratched the surface.
“So it all seemed exciting – it’s up to me now to dig a bit more into that. I’m excited about that.”
Currently, all the focus is on 2022 and the dramatic rule changes, including all-new cars and more that are aimed at generating more competition in F1.
And despite now being 31, Ricciardo is committed to staying in F1 as long as he still has aspirations of becoming champion.
“I think it comes down to how long that true belief stays in me,” he added.
“Everyone thinks they are the best, but at the real core I think every driver looks in the mirror and might say it, but if you stare long enough not everyone is going to say it and I still stare in and believe that.
“So as long as I’m still that person, I’ll continue doing it. The day I stop believing I can do it I think is the day it’s time to move aside, but I don’t feel that’s even close yet.
“I hope I don’t have to wait that long, but I’m absolutely going to do what it takes for the foreseeable future.”
