The driver market was thrown on it’s head when Daniel Ricciardo announced that he was to leave Red Bull Racing for Renault Sport F1 for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. The announcement came as a surprise considering that the noises coming out of Red Bull ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix and into the summer break had the Australian all but signed for the Milton Keynes based team.

But on Friday afternoon Red Bull announced Ricciardo’s departure from the team and a short while later Renault confirmed his appointment at the team.

“It was probably one of the most difficult decisions to take in my career so far,” commented Ricciardo.

“But I thought that it was time for me to take on a fresh and new challenge.

“I realise that there is a lot ahead in order to allow Renault to reach their target of competing at the highest level but I have been impressed by their progression in only two years, and I know that each time Renault has been in the sport they eventually won.

“I hope to be able to help them in this journey and contribute on and off track.”

Cyril Abiteboul, Managing Director, Renault Sport Racing: “Daniel’s signing underscores our determination to accelerate our progress towards the forefront of the sport.

“It is also a recognition of the work accomplished over the past two and a half seasons.

“Daniel’s undoubted talent and charisma are a huge bonus and statement for the team.

“We will have to repay his faith in us by delivering the best car possible. We welcome him to our growing team in 2019 with a great deal of pride, but also humility.”

Welcome to the family Brooo.. 👊🏼
Looking forward to go hunting together next year! 😉 @danielricciardo #F1 #RSspirit pic.twitter.com/4qs4QUZsg1

— Nico Hülkenberg (@HulkHulkenberg) August 3, 2018

Where do the rest of the pieces fall? 

With Ricciardo’s departure at Red Bull there is a vacant seat with at least two drivers in the running. Carlos Sainz, who is currently on loan to Renault, is out of a drive at the end of the season and could make a return to the Red Bull stable. Waiting in the wings is Pierre Gasly who is also part of the Red Bull young driver program and current Toro Rosso driver. Gasly has outperformed his team mate Brendon Hartley at Toro Rosso and has a good chance of filling the space at the senior team.

It’s unlikely that Red Bull will go outside of the Red Bull family to find a driver as they have traditionally filled their seats from within the team.

Sainz, who has the option of a Red Bull drive, is also linked with a move to McLaren to partner Fernando Alonso.

Further up the paddock, Esteban Ocon was linked with a move to Renault, but now with Ricciardo’s move that avenue is a dead end for the Frenchman and it’s quite likely that he will remain at Force India.There’s also the small matter of Force India currently under administration which will factor into this.

Odd Decision for Ricciardo?

While the decision for Ricciardo to move to Renault is a surprising one, it has the potential to become a very inspired move by the Australian. Renault has been throwing a ton of resources at their facilities in Enstone and at the engine factory in Viry, France. They have a clear mission and what looks like a very good plan to get back up the grid. The other plus is that it’s also one of the few works teams in Formula 1. Renault has been on the up since their return to the sport and Ricciardo wants to be part of the revival.

Ricciardo has proven that he can race up front with the best of them and that he’s a real threat when given the slightest opportunity at a victory.

Looking at it from another perspective, Ricciardo saw what Honda had to offer and did not fancy his chances since Red Bull are dropping Renault as an engine supplier for Honda engines from 2019. It’s a strong statement to make and it could just mean that he got out in time or made a mistake. History will be the ultimate judge of that.

Photo credit: Red Bull Content Pool