No less a figure than Alonso has regularly referred to Hulkenberg as one of the most talented drivers on the grid, saying it was only because he had lacked decent machinery that he had yet to score a podium. Renault being factory team, yet to improve their aero department. "I didn't want to hold a grudge on that," Ricciardo says. As Abiteboul leads a tour of the factory, his pride at the results of Renault's investment in the last three years, reflected in the growth of the site and the new high-tech equipment in many rooms, is matched only by his anxiety about how up-against-it the team are to get the car ready for the start of pre-season testing next week. Daniel understands this. It has sprinkled a little stardust on the team, and made a powerful statement of intent. Daniel Ricciardo admits it was difficult telling Renault his decision to depart the team before the season had even started. Abiteboul says much of his hope for a step forward this year rests on the engine, an area in which Renault have struggled since the turbo hybrid V6s were introduced in F1 in 2014. Get the latest results and headlines sent straight to your phone, find all our Formula 1 coverage details with our Live Guide, sign-up to our newsletter and learn where to find us on online. The 30-year-old admits there was no single thing that swayed him into another move. Part of Ricciardo's motivation was seeing how Lewis Hamilton's career has progressed since he left McLaren at the end of 2012 to join Mercedes. "More progress in the championship will take a bit longer. He chose a flight to Los Angeles at the start of his mid-season summer break last August to give him the clarity of mind he needed to decide on a move he knew would change his life. We don't want to see anything jeopardising that momentum. Ricciardo is aware many have questioned the decision but he insists it feels like the right thing to have done. • Daniel has a relationship with Renault already. Making the decision was stressful, but once I had made the call, I was, like, instantly de-stressed and that hasn't changed.". If you look at the situation from the lens of WDC you can see how Daniel made his decision. (AAP) While casting doubt on McLaren, Saward pointed out that one of the big reasons for … By no means an easy one and time will tell….”, FP3: Verstappen lays down a marker for qualifying with quickest time in final practice at Imola, FP3 HIGHLIGHTS: Watch all the action from final practice in Imola, HIGHLIGHTS: All the key moments from qualifying as Hamilton beats the Red Bulls to pole, Hamilton says he needed ‘the perfect lap and more’ to secure 99th pole at Imola, Williams duo reveal how close they were to missing out on team’s best qualifying result since 2018, © 2003-2021 Formula One World Championship Limited, Ricciardo and Norris - McLaren's funny future team mates. That was another decision questioned at the time, but Hamilton has since gone from having one world title to five, from 20 wins to 73. "I walked on the plane, thinking: 'This is what I am going to do, but I still wasn't sure'," he said. After building the foundations of success, they are looking for reassurance this season that while their time might not be now, it will not be too far away. His decision came as a surprise - Renault were often lapped by Red Bull last season, when Ricciardo won two races. WATCH: Verstappen steams into the lead from third in thrilling start to the Emilia Romagna GP, WATCH: Alonso hits the wall on his out lap as rain strikes Imola before the start of the Grand Prix, Tsunoda to race with new gearbox, exhaust and power unit elements after qualifying shunt, LIVE COVERAGE: Follow all the action from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola. Renault finished fifth in the constructors' championship in both years Ricciardo was at the team, and the Western Australian says that was the main reason behind his departure. It's a big brand to look after. They pulled out of F1 as a team owner at the end of 2009, and re-entered for 2016, buying back the team they used to own, which had been allowed to fall into something close to disrepair after years of under-investment. Going against Ricciardo is a chance for Hulkenberg to prove he is deserving of such praise. "The dream was getting this team back to winning," the 29-year-old said at a special event to which BBC Sport was invited at the Renault factory on the eve of the team's 2019 car launch on Tuesday. We are humble and professional enough to recognise that. It's definitely a good comparison.". As for the car, he says: "On the chassis side, we have the structure but it is going to take a bit of time before the structure can turn into a race-winning car.". On Friday August 3, Daniel Ricciardo surprised pretty much everyone associated with Formula 1 by announcing his decision to move to Renault in 2019. Daniel Ricciardo sent shockwaves through Formula 1 on Friday when news broke that he will leave Red Bull to join Renault for 2019. And on this week’s episode of the F1 Nation podcast, the Australian explained why he made the ‘tough’ decision to switch teams before seeing the true nature of the 2020 formbook. They [McLaren] were the team that made the most noise – Mercedes won the championship again – but it was quite clear to most that McLaren was the team that made the biggest step out of all. I guess the way it was handled at the time didn't sit too well with me. He says he was not impressed with the way the team dealt with the crash at last year's Azerbaijan Grand Prix that took out both drivers after an intense and often wheel-banging battle for two-thirds of the race. He was aware then, as now, that he was likely to have to deal with a short-term drop in performance. Renault have a proven pedigree in F1, having won many world titles as an engine supplier - with Williams and Benetton in the 1990s, and Red Bull in the early 2000s - and two drivers' and constructors' doubles with Fernando Alonso in 2005 and '06. “It’s more than a three-day job. If it does jump us into the top three, all well and good, but as long as we make inroads, that has got to be a pretty successful year.". Daniel Ricciardo has shed some more light on his decision to leave Renault for McLaren at the end of the year — but admits the call was not absolutely “clear cut”. “Obviously the reality is, you get pitches from whichever team is talking to you and to some extent, especially now without having any races and any kind of proof, other than last year, you kind of have to believe. So that was encouraging obviously for them and that’s really all you can kind of base it off and their pitch for the future. The honey badger revealed that his main goal in F1 was to fight for World Championships and he believed Renault was the ticket to glory. "Handling the media, I get. I get it doesn't help if we both go off at each other. The grapevine suggests Renault have found 35kw (46bhp) gain in qualifying trim and 20kw (27bhp) in the race. “Obviously they're switching power units and all that. The Australian is going to fill the gap left by Carlos Sainz at McLaren. "What Lewis did at Mercedes, there's definitely part of that, yeah, inspires me," says Ricciardo. According to the seven-time race winner, the decision whether to stick or twist, after just one year at Renault, with another remaining, came down to excitement. Italian media are drawing a line through Daniel Ricciardo for a move to Ferrari with dollar signs forming a key part of the reason. 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