"Renault was a mistake, which we all suspected at the time"

Ricciardo's future

At the end of 2018, Daniel Ricciardo surprised friend and foe with his switch to Renault. The Australian wanted to leave Red Bull Racing because he felt the team there was increasingly siding with Max Verstappen. At Renault, however, he found himself with a team that was sinking further and further into the back of the pack, unable to live up to expectations.

''This might be his last big chance of a Championship for Daniel. He's still the same as he came into Formula One. Very easy to approach, I really enjoy his company. I'm a big fan of him and the way he drives'', says Martin Brundle in the podcast In The Fast Lane.

Step to Renault a mistake

''He will have to be patient at McLaren because the fruits of this new wind tunnel will not come for two/three years. I think he has that patience. Unless he can get into a Mercedes, where else should he go? Actually, he probably should've stayed at Red Bull, but there he felt that all the love was in Max's direction and I can understand that," says Brundle.

So on the one hand the former Formula One driver can understand why Ricciardo insisted on leaving, but not why he chose Renault. ''Renault was a mistake which we all suspected at the time, but I think that was him needing to get out of Red Bull as much as anything. I do believe if he has got the patience and he sticks with McLaren that could take him to the front of the field," Brundle concludes.