5 reasons why Ricciardo's Renault move is good for F1

Breaking the monotony of mid-season lull, here comes a news that's got everyone talking and rather surprised. Just when the Formula 1 caravan was busy discussing driver performances up until 12 Grands Prix so far, Daniel Ricciardo has given everyone a new talking point. Just how many of us would've predicted a move to Renault?

In a sport so often dominated by the likes of Hamilton and Vettel, Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo is an equalizer of sorts. He unites attention, instead of dividing it.

You don't feel a grudge against this guy; you'd happily take a race win by Daniel Ricciardo any day. Isn't it?

So what are the 5 ways in which Daniel Ricciardo's move to Renault is good for the sport?

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#1 No more does Ricciardo have to worry about the Honda predicament

Back in 2016 and 2017, the McLaren was among the least drivable cars on the track. It didn't make for a very encouraging spectacle to spot Fernando Alonso, usually a frontrunner at the grid, right at the back, fighting with the backmarkers competing for scraps.

There was little doubt that Ricciardo- who would've had to drive a Honda-powered car next year had he chosen to stay back- was noting the developments. The last time the McLaren and Honda partnership soared to great heights was in 1988-91, when the alliance resulted in 4 consecutive constructor's championships.

But the contemporary era was replete with mechanical DNFs for the Honda-powered McLaren. With Red Bull forming a new alliance with the Japanese engine suppliers, Ricciardo may not have been the happiest man around.

Moreover, there were concerns about what might have happened had Ricciardo driven with the said engine supplier for 2019?

Thankfully, the Australian driver will no longer have to withstand the 'what might' for 2019 as he'll be driving a Renault-powered machine for the next season. But, whether that resolves the performance issues, we are yet to know.

#2 An advantage for Nico Hulkenberg?

Hulkenberg has already welcomed Daniel's switch to Renault

One of the sorriest spectacles in the entirety of Formula 1 racing is spotting an extremely talented Hulkenberg competing without a podium finish against his name. Surely, it always seems, Hulkenberg is a better driver than the shambolic truth hovering against his name.

With Ricciardo joining the team for 2019, there's a great possibility that Hulk would be pushed to further up his game.

As it is, the German driver has gathered 52 points so far from 12 races in 2018, a visible improvement from 2017, where he could only manage 43 from 20 races.

What's more? Hulkenberg has been responsible for some really impressive drives this year, including a best-place finish of P5 at his home race at the German Grand Prix. Even teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. hasn't managed this position so far from 12 races.

So, the question is- can Nico go even better fostering a healthy competition with Ricciardo next year?

#3 Does Max get to be the main driver at Red Bull?

Surely, Max is not 'wingman' material at Red Bull

It's interesting that how a single move spells multiple possibilities for the rest. With Ricciardo confirmed to drive for the French team starting 2019, one wonders what might happen inside the Red Bull garage?

While multiple rumours have already started doing the rounds, rumour-mongers going as far as suggesting Kimi might join the Christian Horner-led outfit, there's a great possibility to find Max being the team's mainstay.

With Ricciardo no longer being part of the racing marquee, there's hardly a doubt regarding who the focal point of attention is at Infinity Red Bull Racing.

It's that man often hailed as "Mad Max." Interestingly, Verstappen has demonstrated a penchant for stellar improvement ever since the forgettable Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where a controversial collision, arguably caused by the Dutchman in Lap 40, ended the race for him and his current teammate.

Having had an incredible win under his belt, his maiden win at the Red Bull Ring at Spielberg, Verstappen's confidence is on an all-time high. He'd want to demonstrate to his team that he's capable of mounting an impressive comeback at Spa-Francorchamps, once racing resumes after the mid-season break. A strong finish at a track where he gets great support, the "Orange Army" filling in the grandstands will also work wonders for his confidence.

#4 Ricciardo's Renault move gives the French team a chance to compete for podiums

Can Daniel bring the same level of racing and intensity to Renault?

Does it not?

Sadly, in the two seasons so far with Renault, neither of the current drivers has been able to secure a podium. Carlos Sainz Jr. could only come as close as grabbing a fighting fourth at the 2017 Singapore Grand Prix.

But he couldn't go beyond.

But can Ricciardo- a talent with 7 wins and 29 podium finishes already- bring about a change in 2019?

Even as the answer rests in the ebb of the future, Ricciardo's move to Renault augurs well for a team that's both keen to improve and eagerly anticipating its first race win of the contemporary turbo-powered era.

#5 An opportunity for a fantastic battle in the midfield

Kevin Magnussen defending hard from Hulkenberg at a stiff right-hander

While the biggies on the track- Ferrari and Mercedes- are clinically dominating right at the front, winning 9 of the 12 Grands Prix this year, there's an intense battle happening in the midfield, involving the likes of Renault, McLaren, Force India and Haas.

But if one were to look at the current Constructor's standings, then with 82 points, Renault are stacked firmly in fourth. This is 16 points better than the Haas of Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean and 23 points ahead of the Force India's, currently languishing at sixth.

While the most improved drivers of the pack are Magnussen, Hulkenberg, Grosjean and Sainz, this battle is only expected to heat up further as Daniel Ricciardo begins his Renault stint from the next year.