"Don't do this for the money": Daniel Ricciardo should not have left Red Bull for Renault, feels F1 pundit

Daniel Ricciardo should never have left Red Bull and gone to Renault, feels F1 pundit Peter Windsor. At the end of 2018, the Australian shocked the entire F1 paddock when he decided to leave Red Bull to join Renault (currently Alpine). This was particularly shocking since Ricciardo was doing quite well with the Austrian team despite Max Verstappen being their wunderkind.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Windsor expressed his opinion that Ricciardo should never have gone to Renault. He further explained how Red Bull heads must have urged him to stay. Windsor said:

"Everybody of note in the Red Bull team said to Daniel: 'Don't do this, Daniel, it's the best chance you're ever going to have to win more Grand Prix and to be in the running to win a World Championship,' as Webber was against Vettel at Red Bull, 'and don't go to Renault, don't do this for the money, don't do it. And we'll still look after you we love you even though Max of course is our chosen boy.'"

The F1 pundit claimed that Daniel Ricciardo made a massive mistake by leaving Red Bull since he was unable to perform the same at Renault and McLaren. He also explained how a driver should never leave the best team in F1 since it takes years for a driver to get to a team like Red Bull. He concluded:

"But he just wouldn't listen and he went off and he made his money and he made a massive mistake. You don't ever leave the best team in Formula One with the best car ever really. Takes you so long to get into it in the first place. Why would you just walk away?"

Despite how Daniel Ricciardo's career panned out after 2018, the Australian himself expressed how he does not regret his decision to leave Red Bull back in 2018. This despite how his performance took a massive dip after it.

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Daniel Ricciardo admits his poor performance with McLaren

It was clear that Daniel Ricciardo was at his lowest with McLaren. The Australian was nowhere near his teammate, Lando Norris, and was simply unable to move up the grid. Looking back at his time with the British team, Ricciardo said (via Speedcafe):

“I’ll always take some responsibility or accountability. For many years, I truly believed I was the best, and I am the best in the world, so whatever the situation, I’ll be able to overcome it. And obviously with McLaren it was tough for me to do that. So yeah, I was aware that I’m not the perfect driver. I do have weaknesses.”

Daniel Ricciardo is currently working as a reserve driver for Red Bull. He is also helping the team with all kinds of promotional content.