"I take it completely personally": Former Renault boss reflects on Daniel Ricciardo's early departure from the team

Former Renault F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul says he regrets signing Daniel Ricciardo in 2019 and the challenging stint that followed.

Daniel Ricciardo was on the hunt for a new adventure when he decided to part ways with Red Bull in the summer of 2018. The Australian went on to sign a two-year deal with Renault F1, a team which was visibly a downgrade from his former employers.

Ricciardo joined Renault in 2019 but was off to a woeful start. Three DNFs in the first four races were followed by a string of mid-table finishes. He finished the season in ninth position with 54 points to his name.

Thus, it was not a surprise when the Australian driver started looking for a move away from Enstone. In a pandemic-affected season that kicked off as late as July, the "Honey Badger" agreed to a lucrative McLaren deal for 2021 in April, months before the 2020 season even came to life.

This didn't go well with the then-Renault managing director Cyril Abiteboul. In a recent interview with Dans La Boîte À Gants podcast (h/t PlanetF1), the 46-year-old revealed his frustrations upon Ricciardo's decision and said:

"He makes his decision in April or May; the world is at a standstill, we don’t know how we’re going to get back on track, if we’re going to get back on track."

Daniel Ricciardo finished his second year with Renault F1 in fifth position. Thus, Abiteboul felt particularly disappointed after the 2021 season turned out to be a success for Renault. He said:

"In fact, I think it’s a very early move, a bit selfish – because in the end, it will have given the team just one season’s chance, and so it’s true that it’s a decision that I’m taking badly. Badly."

The Frenchman was asked if Ricciardo's decision felt personal to him. He said:

"Of course, because I can see that it’s a personal rejection. I take it completely personally. I accept it. And I can see what the consequences are going to be too."

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Daniel Ricciardo has a "timing problem" according to Cyril Abiteboul

Although he was left feeling bitter from the Australian's departure following the 2020 season, Abiteboul could relate to Ricciardo's reasoning behind making such a decision. He said, via the aforementioned source:

"The team was in the process of structuring itself and getting organised... He came from the standard environment, Red Bull, and so inevitably there was a feeling of being demoted."

The Frenchman highlighted the psychological toll on Ricciardo during the challenging 2019 season. He added:

"It was difficult for him psychologically. In 2019, the Baku Grand Prix was absolutely horrendous, with him making mistake after mistake. In short, he’s completely out of his depth, and that’s complicated for us."

However, Cyril Abiteboul also believes that Daniel Ricciardo has a "timing problem." While referring to Ricciardo's exit from McLaren at the end of the 2022 season, Abiteboul said:

“I don’t think [Ricciardo] could have imagined the car making such progress, and neither could we. I can also understand his strategy. McLaren sold him a bit of a bill of goods to get him, but that’s part of the game. Ricciardo always has a timing problem: he left us too early and he left McLaren too early.”

With the rumors of Daniel Ricciardo eyeing a move back to Red Bull Racing coming in thick and fast, a return to Austria was looking all but certain. However, Helmut Marko's latest comments on Sergio Perez have put cold water on the speculations to an extent.

After the Brazilian GP, Marko, who has been critical of Perez in the past, said that the Mexican driver's 'pace has been right in both qualifying and the race' since Austin (h/t LastWordOnSports). Perez's current contract at Red Bull doesn't expire before December 2024.

It remains to be seen what the future holds for Daniel Ricciardo, who sits 17th in the standings this season with six points.