Ricciardo reveals he spoke to McLaren before leaving Red Bull in 2018
F1 News
McLaren presented their new car for 2021 on Monday evening. There we also saw Daniel Ricciardo for the first time in the McLaren colors. During a press moment from McLaren prior to the unveiling of the new car, he revealed how he actually spoke to the team back in 2018.
"I think I can say it. I'll just say it, I have nothing to hide. It's for three years," an always cheerful Ricciardo told GP Blog, among others.
"That's certainly enough time to get this thing going. Obviously, I feel like coming here with a bunch of momentum behind the team as well. Not only with results but also with some really good stability in the team."
Outlook at McLaren is now better
When I spoke to McLaren a couple of years ago, back in 2018. I don't think Andreas [Seidl] was there yet, James Key wasn't. There were still quite a few moving parts. Not only were the results not quite on track yet, they were still trying to figure out their own structure. I think they really established that now. I'm basically fitting in the puzzle, instead of trying to piece it together. "
Ricciardo spoke with McLaren before his departure from Red Bull Racing but then opted for a lucrative adventure with the Renault factory team . In 2020 this yielded some podium places, but he will hope for more at McLaren, especially given the power unit he now has at his disposal.
"I've been driving with a Renault in the back of the car since the beginning of the hybrid era, so I'm looking forward to experiencing something new. They [Mercedes] have had a lot of success, so I expect something decent of course," added Ricciardo.