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By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
It hasn’t been an easy year at Renault, however, Daniel Ricciardo nevertheless claims that this season has”emphasised his love” for Formula 1.
The Australian seven-time winner made Red Bull to combine Renault on a two-year contract for 2019 and 2020 worth greater than $50m (#40.2m), and also his team started the season with all the dream of closing to the top 3 teams.
Renault have slipped backward. But Ricciardo says he”still feels good” about the decision, doesn’t have regrets, which he would love to continue using the team if they could show sufficient improvements next season.
“Do I wish to remain? Yes, because ideally we do get this into another level,” Ricciardo informs BBC Sport in an exclusive interview.
“It had been my enormous goal to come here. My intention was not to really have a layover. I truly need this to work, although I understand people might think that. I feel as the hours that I have put in this year have shown I have the drive to want to achieve that.”
After finishing fourth in the constructors’ championship this past year, Renault are with seven races one location behind McLaren.
The regression – and the contrast with the advancement at McLaren – has resulted in internal stress and disappointment, but Ricciardo says that he expected a season.
“Definitely not to be unfavorable, but regardless of if we were coming sixth each weekend, I knew there were still bigger targets and we were not going to be in which we would like to be,” he says.
“Yes, we are sometimes further back than we expected and hoped, but I understood there would be more work to be done along with a lot of hours to put in. I feel like I was prepared for it.
“Although I feel as I have worked more hours and worked harder this year than in preceding years, it’s still been rather enjoyable since the environment is significantly different – new people, new connections.
“If anything, it’s reiterated what I need in the sport.”
There were a few moments on the way when Renault were uncompetitive, and the nadir was a weekend in Austria in the end of June.
“Austria, actually, I will tell you conversations going in my mind during this race,” Ricciardo states. “I’m literally driving about – I do not need to state not present – but my thoughts were:’I don’t need to be here.’
“When I say , I mean:’I really don’t need to be in this position.’ I had been 14th or some thing and it was one of our worst evenings. However, it wasn’t a head-down defeat, it was’Get me back into the front – . This is not where we ought to be’
“So a really lousy weekend emphasised my enthusiasm and love for your sport and how much I really wanted to get everyone back around the front, such as myself.”
There have been some strong weekends, also, notably Canada, in which Ricciardo qualified a fourth, dividing the Ferraris and ahead of the two Red Bulls.
“Through some of these struggles, it’s been really quite optimistic for me this year, and it has actually driven me want it,” he states. “That’s been cool.
“And in an actual pure favorable – Canada. We have had some lows for me like a pole position. There have already been some moments that have lasted.”
In five years at Red Bull, the group were never frontrunners, but Ricciardo took seven victories, also established a reputation among the most exciting drivers of the sport, along with being potentially its character.
Most of his successes were outstanding, including drives throughout the field and audacious overtaking manoeuvres that are last-minute.
Ricciardo has inevitably faded slightly from the limelight this season, however, the transfer to Renault has done nothing to harm his standing as a driver.
He has out-paced his team-mate, German Nico Hulkenberg, who has out-qualified Ricciardo four times. This functionality disparity will have produced the decision to release Hulkenberg and signal Frenchman Esteban Ocon for the next two years of Renault.
And while Ricciardo would clearly like to be farther up, he says he is currently enjoying the high degree of the battle.
“If anything, [qualifying] is more than last year,” he states. “The conflict a lot of time was just me Max [Verstappen], in which this year it is all the midfield. So that getting the blood circulation moving. I am enjoying the milking .”
In terms of the operation of the car, Renault think they understand what’s gone wrong this year.
Their performance at tracks like the last two races in Italy and Belgium, and Canada, all’power circuits’, have emphasised that the French manufacturer has finally made a step forward after years of underperformance. The issue now is your car.
Ricciardo says:”It seems when I speak to the team, the foundation of the vehicle, the principles, the foundation direction, has limited us. We developed it a tiny bit but it’s attained, I do not need to state its summit, but it ca be developed that more with this philosophy.
“So, as much as now looking at next year, it feels like they want to change the whole aerodynamic philosophy of the automobile. Instead of focusing on this component of the vehicle, state the part, and seeking to create as much downforce in the center, it’s like, no, we need to concentrate on the front.
“It seems like it might be more challenging in the beginning, but in the bigger picture we would be getting more downforce’things’, as we call itfrom this.”
This seems very similar to Renault have done exactly what Ferrari have completed this season – pursued an aerodynamic doctrine that looks better , but that limits overall downforce; compared to Mercedes, whose automobile was more difficult to get working initially, but is much better at the end.
For Ricciardo, then, a lot hangs on Renault becoming that right. If they just take a big step forward, and could make their leadership function that is new, Ricciardo might stay. They fear he’d leave if they can not.
This was emphasised by Renault Sport managing manager Cyril Abiteboul, once he said lately that signing Ocon”was not nearly 2020, but in addition 2021 and what is happening to his own team-mate”.
Can Ricciardo think Abiteboul supposes he may be on the lookout for pastures new for 2021?
“I definitely have not made any decisions yet,” Ricciardo states. “I have not had this talk with Cyril. I really don’t want to speak for himbut he’s frustrated for this year.
“I believe part of him feels – I really don’t wish to say [he feels] he has down us, but we did hope to do better.
“When we surfaced this past year, there have been greater hopes for this season. He’s presuming probably, although we’re convinced next year is going to be a whole lot better:’When it doesn’t move [better]would Daniel wish to remain?’ That’s probably that’s probably where these comments come out and where his head’s in.
“It’s him just being brutally honest with himself and wanting to do better and wanting the group to do better – to basically keep me and some other assets”
Most drivers’ contracts come up for renewal at the end of 2020. Along with Ricciardo, Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, along with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen are on the market next year.
“Next year, what will I need to see?” He asks. “Needless to developments – not only from 1 position to the next, but strong improvements that really we could realistically fight for a podium at a certain stage next year. That would be motivating for everyone and quite encouraging.
“I understand we are still a long way off that however I believe it’s actually reach. I do not think we’re dreamers; we only need to clean a couple of things up. I still look back at Canada – in case we can qualify fourth at the seventh race of the season, I still believe what is possible with these men.”
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Analysis and opinion from the BBC Formula 1 writer.
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