[Saba Sports News] Looking back on his career, Daniel Ricciardo has once again spoken about his decision to leave Red Bull back in 2018. The eight-time Grand Prix winner admitted that had he stayed with the team that year, he would have faced an increasingly difficult situation against his rapidly improving teammate Max Verstappen.
Ricciardo left Red Bull ahead of the 2019 season, a move that sparked widespread debate at the time. Many fans suggested he was avoiding a head-to-head battle with Verstappen. In response, Ricciardo offered a more measured explanation: his departure was not out of fear of competition, but a careful assessment of the team’s future dynamics and his own role within it. He stressed that while their rivalry was intense back then, their results were extremely close. However, as time went on, Verstappen’s trajectory showed a far steeper upward curve. In hindsight, Verstappen went on to establish a period of dominance, claiming multiple Formula 1 world championships in a row. Meanwhile, Ricciardo moved between several teams, and his career gradually declined.
Even so, Ricciardo does not view his 2018 exit as a mistake. To him, it was more like a fork in the road with no certain outcome — a choice filled with uncertainty, rather than a simple regret. He acknowledged that staying at Red Bull might have earned him more race wins, but at the same time, he could have gradually lost his place amid internal competition.
In our opinion, Ricciardo’s decision to leave Red Bull in 2018 was an independent choice made in the context of the time. Although it did not bring the glory he had hoped for, it allowed him to undergo a personal transformation and grow as an individual.