F1 | Renault, Abiteboul on Ricciardo's hiring: "An opportunity like this presents itself every two or three years"

An unmissable opportunity: so the Renault, by the voice of the team principal Cyril Abiteboul, called the hiring a surprise Daniel Ricciardo from Red Bull. “It was too big a chance to miss” – admitted to RMC Sport the French manager. “We couldn't afford not to sign him: an opportunity like this only comes around once every two or three years. The next time the train of top drivers passes by, it could be in 2021 (when the current contracts of Vettel, Hamilton and Verstappen have expired, ed.)”.

Furthermore, Ricciardo's arrival blocked another negotiation, or the one that would have led Esteban Ocon to wear the yellow overalls. The 21-year-old Force India driver, before the table was set for the Australian, was the main favorite to replace Carlos Sainz. However, Mercedes, the team that owns his contract, would not have sold him outright: “Ocon would have arrived on loan from Mercedes, but then the negotiation did not go through" – explained Abiteboul. “For us, Ricciardo was the only option, as well as the best, to have a 100% Renault driver”.