Ricciardo will ‘annoy’ Renault with 2019 F1 car feedback

Daniel Ricciardo reckons he will “annoy” his new Renault Formula 1 team by giving the engineers and designers “plenty of work to do” with his feedback of its 2019 car. 

The Australian has joined midfield leaders Renault after ending his tenure at Red Bull and said at the launch of its latest F1 challenger - the R.S.19 - he is hoping his arrival will boost the French squad. 

Asked what he can bring to Renault from his experience at race-winning Red Bull outfit, Ricciardo said: “Hopefully there’s a lot I can bring, annoying the engineers  and the designers and give them plenty of work to do. 

“I’m sure there’s going to be some things along the way and testing is the place to see that. 

“Until the ball starts rolling I won’t know what those things will be but we might get out first day testing and I might be like ‘why are we doing this? There’s a more efficient way to be doing that’. 

“Time will tell what my feedback is and what I can bring. I think from a driving point of view that’s going to be more straightforward. 

“It’s no secret that Red Bull had a pretty awesome chassis so certainly some things I feel with this year’s car and I can feedback and say ‘OK it’s good here but I feel one of our weaknesses might be here so let’s put more attention and focus on this area’.”

Ricciardo took seven victories during his five-year spell at Red Bull, including two last year, and joins a team that is yet to achieve a podium finish in the V6 hybrid era and is without a victory since 2008. 

Renault claimed its best result since returning to F1 as a full works outfit by finishing fourth last season, and is confident about continuing to close the gap to the sport’s current top three teams Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull in 2019. Ricciardo added he is already settling in well and is excited to start the “next phase” of his career. 

“I’m finding it really, really well,” he explained. “The simple things like putting on a different coloured suit, the best part of 10 years I was wearing a navy blue suit and it feels comfortable, it feels alright. 

“I don’t look at myself in the mirror and think it doesn’t look like me. It feels like me now and this is the phase and chapter of my personal career so that’s exciting. The team has been good, I smile and they smile back, so all good.”