F1: Daniel Ricciardo Exits Red Bull Racing To Join Renault In 2019

The first major annoucement during the summer break is here and Daniel Ricciardo will be leaving his seat at the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team by the end of this year. Renault was quick to welcome the ace driver who will be racing alongside Nico Hulkenberg next season. The switch comes amidst Red Bull and Renault's rising issues over the latter's engine performance. However, what's more surprising is Ricciardo's exit from the team despite the driver showing interest in continuing with the team. In fact, it was seen as a formality that Red Bull and Ricciardo would sign the contract for next season. Meanwhile, Red Bull is yet to announce a replacement for Ricciardo in the team, whereas the move also confirms the exit of Carlos Sainz from Renault up next year.

Speaking about his exit from Red Bull, Daniel Ricciardo said, "It was probably one of the most difficult decisions to take in my career so far. But I thought that it was time for me to take on a fresh and new challenge. I realise that there is a lot ahead in order to allow Renault to reach their target of competing at the highest level but I have been impressed by their progression in only two years, and I know that each time Renault has been in the sport they eventually won. I hope to be able to help them in this journey and contribute on and off track."

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said, "We fully respect Daniel's decision to leave and we wish him all the best in his future. We would like to thank him for his dedication and the role he has played since joining the team in 2014, the highlights of course being the seven wins and the 29 podiums he has achieved so far with us. We will now continue to evaluate the numerous options available to us before deciding on which driver partners Max Verstappen for the 2019 season. In the meantime, there are still nine races left in 2018 and we are fully focused on maximising every opportunity for Max and Daniel for the remainder of the season."

Ricciardo's move to Renault is certainly surprising given the power unit issues faced by Max Verstappen over the last weekend. It does seem however, that the Australian hopes for the French factory team to perform better next year.

Renault's F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul said, "Daniel's signing underscores our determination to accelerate our progress towards the forefront of the sport. It is also a recognition of the work accomplished over the past two and a half seasons. Daniel's undoubted talent and charisma are a huge bonus and statement for the team. We will have to repay his faith in us by delivering the best car possible. We welcome him to our growing team in 2019 with a great deal of pride, but also humility."

This also makes way for bigger changes in the middle order driver line-up for next season. With Ricciardo confirmed with the team, Sainz is likely to find home with Torro Rosso once again or join another team. The future of Force India also remains undecided amidst it's financial turmoil. This leaves both Sergio Perez and Esteban Icon in the open, while Lance Stroll could join the team, should father Lawrence Stroll's buying rumours be true.