Daniel Ricciardo Does Not Regret Red Bull F1 Exit Despite Max Verstappen Championship- “If It Can’t Be Me, I’d Rather Be Them”

Aussie F1 star Daniel Ricciardo recently dropped a huge Red Bull claim. “The Honey Badger” drove for the Milton Keynes team between 2014 and 2018, before switching over to Renault. However, after two seasons of limited success, he started a new adventure with McLaren in 2021. Now, he is all set to head into his second season with the team.

However, he will look to make a stronger comeback this season. Ricciardo has been training hard for this season, and with new regulations sweeping over, there is no limit to how high he can fly. Many will expect him to compete against his former team at the front of the grid in 2022. However, after an exceptional 2021 campaign for the Milton Keynes outfit, F1 fans still wonder if leaving the team was the right thing to do for Ricciardo.

After much delay, Ricciardo finally opened up on this question.

Daniel Ricciardo doesn’t regret leaving Red Bull

His decision in 2018 to leave Red Bull came as a shock to many, including team boss Christian Horner. Ricciardo, after exceptional campaigns in 2014 and 2016, was the main man in the team. However, since the induction of Max Verstappen, he felt uncomfortable at the team, losing his primary status with each passing season.

Finally, he decided to shake hands with rival Renault, headed then by Cyril Abiteboul. Now, after the title-winning season for Red Bull, Ricciardo laid out his thoughts on the controversial switch. In a recent interview with Motorsport.com, Ricciardo categorically rejected any notion of regret for leaving the team. “The honest answer is no,” said the Aussie.

“I hesitated for a moment because I don’t want to come across as short and disrespectful to Red Bull by immediately saying no because they have meant a lot to my career. I drove there for five years and at one point I just felt like I was ready for something new.”

“I’m not sure if I would have been a better version of myself if I had continued for another year in 2019 and then stayed for 2020 and 2021. If I had ridden there last year, I might still not have come close to the title. I honestly don’t regret the switch I made at the time and everything I’ve gone through since then,” added Ricciardo.

“When I saw Max win the title last year, I didn’t think for a moment: ‘What if…’ It didn’t make me feel bad and I didn’t have any feelings along the lines of ‘poor me’. In fact, I’m happy for them to be back at the top, If it can’t be me, I’d rather be them,” concluded the McLaren Man.

Now, we are heading closer to the pre-season testing scheduled later this month. Where do you see Daniel Ricciardo finishing in the drivers’ standings at the end of 2022? Tell us your predictions in the comments below.

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