{"items":[{"title":"Ricciardo: Initial Red Bull deal 'close to what I wanted'","body":"
Daniel Ricciardo admits Red Bull\u2019s initial contract offer to retain his services post-2018 was \u201cclose to what he wanted\u201d but the proposed length of the deal swayed his mind to join Renault.<\/p>\n
The Australian dropped the bombshell last year he would be leaving Red Bull at the end of the season after five years at the works outfit, having looked certain to put pen to paper after alternative options fizzled out.<\/p>\n
Ricciardo held talks with midfield runners McLaren and Renault before settling on signing a two-year contract with the latter, aiming to transform the Enstone-based outfit into title contenders.<\/p>\n
Although it marks a backwards step from the outside, Ricciardo felt renewing his contract, with no reference to new engine partners Honda\u2019s performance, would have been too \u201crisky\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know, I guess it got close to what I wanted,\u201d Ricciardo told RACER. \u201cThere were a few things.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I was going back and forth with was, originally they wanted to do a two-year deal, and because I\u2019d already questioned if I wanted to do another year there, doing two years\u2026 I was a bit concerned with me personally; with my motivation to still be there.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just thinking if Honda doesn\u2019t work, next year\u2019s a year of frustration, then am I really going to want to do another year on top of that, or am I just going to get a bit over it?<\/p>\n
\u201cSo initially the two-year thing was something that concerned me, so then it was like, \u2018OK, let\u2019s try and push for a one year\u2019 and if the Honda works, great, we\u2019ll extend it and whatever. Easy.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cBut then one year felt risky. It felt like I wasn\u2019t really achieving anything by signing a one-year. I don\u2019t know, it just didn\u2019t really add up. So what I thought I wanted, I didn\u2019t really want in the end. So there wasn\u2019t really anything for me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe two-year, for me, I didn\u2019t really feel I wanted, and a one-year was like it puts me in this position again in 12 months time, and I don\u2019t really want to be back in this position to be honest, because it\u2019s starting to become a bit wearing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Renault\u2019s steady climb up the grid since it returned to Formula 1 in 2016 was a factor in Ricciardo\u2019s signing, and the 29-year-old says after lengthy talks, it became clearer it was \u201cthe right fit\u201d for his future.<\/p>\n
\u201cRenault we were kind of talking to a bit,\u201d he said. \u201cEventually it just kind of clicked for me and I was like \u2018Alright, so it\u2019s a works team, progress they\u2019ve made is good, it\u2019s two years and a solid deal\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just seemed like the right fit, and I was like \u2018You know what? That\u2019s it\u2019. It got to that point as well where what I really felt I just need a change, and just to break the routine, really.\u201d<\/p>\n","author":"Hamilton Lyndon-Griffiths","image":[{"url":"https:\/\/readeverything.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2019\/01\/1003027824-1200x800.jpg","author":"Mark Thompson\/Getty Images Sport","title":"F1 Grand Prix of Germany - Final Practice"}],"dates":{"published":"2019-01-18T11:22:07+00:00","updated":"2019-01-18T11:22:32+00:00"},"id":"41-57025","link":[{"rel":"self","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/readmotorsport.com\/2019\/01\/18\/ricciardo-initial-red-bull-deal-close-to-what-i-wanted\/"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"application\/json","href":"https:\/\/readeverything.co\/msn-feed\/?id=41-57025"}],"keywords":[]}]}