Daniel Ricciardo denies money played a part in his failed attempt to join Ferrari in 2019.
The Australian was speculated to be in talks for the Scuderia to replace Kimi Raikkonen next season but they fizzled out and resulted in his surprise decision to join Renault instead.
At the time it was suggested the salary the now former Red Bull driver was demanding was the reason for Ferrari ending discussions but now Ricciardo believes his chances of a move to Maranello were always slim.
“I can’t say why, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he was quoted by GPFans.com.
“Who said I’d asked for too much money? Evidently, someone said no to my arrival. Who? I’d like to know, but maybe I have an idea.
“We had discussions, but you could see that they had already made arrangements with [Charles] Leclerc, so my talks fell through.
“I hope for them that it’s the right choice and that it works out well,” he added. “As far as I’m concerned, I hope to still be in F1 for some time and maybe there will be an opportunity to meet again.”
Also Read:
- Ricciardo baffled by lack of Ferrari interest
- Leclerc can be the ‘incentive’ Vettel needs to improve in 2019
- Ricciardo: Renault move ‘terrifying’ but ‘I had to take this step’
Last Friday, Ricciardo also said his final goodbyes to those at Red Bull in an event at the factory in Milton Keynes.
His exit brings to an end a 10-year association which saw him claim seven wins during a five-year stint at the senior team but the ‘Honey Badger’ admits the fanfare around the departure has made something else clear to him.
“It’s been cool. What I think is helping me not think about it too much is that I’m not retiring, if I was retiring, I think it would be a different story,” Ricciardo claimed.
“I’m just moving next door, so to speak and it’s certainly made me realise, though, that I’m not ready to retire.
“The way some people talked about it, I was like, ‘I’d hate to be retiring right now!’”