Leading Formula 1 commentator David Croft is still miffed as to why Daniel Ricciardo left Red Bull to join Renault in 2018.
The Australian inked a two-year deal at Renault after achieving seven victories, 29 podium finishes, two pole positions and 904 championship points in five years at Red Bull.
Ricciardo’s two years at Renault were largely underwhelming, earning two podium finishes in his second season, but couldn’t claim a win for the French manufacturer.
In May of 2020, Ricciardo was on the move again, signing with McLaren for the 2021 season, finishing eighth in the driver standings largely thanks to his stunning victory at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza.
Croft is surprised Ricciardo linked up with a Renault team that couldn’t compete financially with the likes of Red Bull.
“I thought he was going to stay at Red Bull. I said this the other day – I’m still not totally sure why Daniel left Red Bull,” Croft told Sportsday.
“I know Red Bull weren’t necessarily the competitive car they are now and I know there was a guy called Max Verstappen that was there, he was quite good, gone on to become a world champion … but I still wouldn’t have left Red Bull – I certainly wouldn’t have gone to Renault.
“Yes, I know they are a worked team, but they haven’t got the budget that Red Bull have got, and they certainly haven’t had the success. With all due to respect to Renault, they probably haven’t got the people there either that were going to turn their project into a championship-winning outfit.
“Daniel’s always talked about winning championships, not just winning races, so I wasn’t quite sure why he wanted to go to Renault – especially when he had the chance to go to McLaren at the same time and I thought McLaren actually would’ve been a better fit for him.
“Now of course he’s gone to McLaren, I still think it’s a decent fit, but he’s turned up at a team that isn’t there to win races on a regular basis yet.
“But he showed last year, only 12 races ago now, that he’s still a man that could win Formula 1 Grand Prixs – and he won that on merit in Monza.
“He’s not going to do that all the time because McLaren is not quite there and it’s certainly not there this season because they’ve got issues that need fixing on the chassis.
“It kind of all stems back to why did he leave Red Bull in the first place? Maybe one day Daniel will look back and say, ‘I shouldn’t have done that’.”
Ricciardo, 32, will look to secure his first points of the season in the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne next Sunday.