Ricciardo: Risk of failure greater at Red Bull-Honda than Renault
New Renault Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo says the "risk of failure" would have been greater if he stayed with Red Bull and its new engine partner Honda for 2019


Ricciardo's shock Red Bull departure was the one of the biggest stories of last season as he opted to join the Renault works team despite enduring reliability problems with Renault's engines at his existing team.
Renault has swiftly improved since returning to F1 as a team in 2016, finishing fourth in the constructors' championship last year, but Ricciardo is still unlikely to challenge his former team or Mercedes and Ferrari for victories this season.
"There is a bit of a gamble with it but the more I think about it I don't see it too much as a gamble in terms of [comparison] with Red Bull," said Ricciardo.
"We're not coming in the team saying we're going to win so the expectation and the bar is not initially very high, whereas at Red Bull every year we kind of built ourselves up because we'd won in the past.
"Every year you kind of feel it's going to happen and the risk is being let down every year.
"I feel like the risk of failure [staying at Red Bull] is greater than coming here and having the risk of not winning, if that makes sense.
"Out of the two options they both have some risk, but with risk comes reward and because the growth here is potentially a lot bigger I feel that the reward can certainly be bigger here and the ability to become less frustrated is better here."
After committing to Renault, Ricciardo went on to endure a torrid reliability record over the second half of 2018.
He insists it did not give him any "second thoughts" about his decision as he believes Red Bull was responsible for some of the problems and Honda is still not a proven alternative.

"I feel a lot of the failures were pretty 50/50," Ricciardo said. "I think Austin was a Renault failure and the week after at Mexico was a Red Bull failure.
"But no I didn't really have second thoughts and again there were a lot of unknowns with Honda as well.
"It was tough because on one hand Honda is new hope for the team, but it's also an unknown in many respects.
"Renault still haven't got to where they want to be from a power unit point of view and since 2014 they've been really trying to play catch up.
"You can't deny that every mistake they do make they are going to learn from that.
"I'm sure there's still probably going to be some mistakes that they'll make but I feel like they're ticking them off, and I feel that probably Honda still has more of those things to tick off."

The inside story of Williams's ROKiT boost
Formula 1 takes first steps towards ending discord over tyres

Latest news
Zhou focused on Alfa Romeo stay in F1 2023 silly season
Zhou Guanyu says his focus lies with retaining his Formula 1 seat at Alfa Romeo for 2023 ahead of talks about his future after the summer break.
Hamilton: I'll end my F1 career before I'm completely burnt out
Lewis Hamilton intends to remain in Formula 1 while he still has “fuel in the tank” but says he won’t push until he is “completely burnt out” before retiring.
Why Piastri's attempt to join McLaren carries implications of risk
After the 2006 Formula 1 British GP, Lewis Hamilton's father Anthony was a frustrated man, despite his son - at the time a star in GP2 - having just scored a memorable double win in that weekend's feature and sprint events.
Alpine: Ocon has what it takes to lead the F1 team in 2023
Alpine Formula 1 boss Otmar Szafnauer believes that Esteban Ocon has what it takes to lead the team following Fernando Alonso’s departure at the end of this season.
Why few could blame Leclerc for following the example of Hamilton’s exit bombshell
OPINION: Ferrari's numerous strategy blunders, as well as some of his own mistakes, have cost Charles Leclerc dearly in the 2022 Formula 1 title battle in the first half of the season. Though he is locked into a deal with Ferrari, few could blame Leclerc if he ultimately wanted to look elsewhere - just as Lewis Hamilton did with McLaren 10 years prior
The other McLaren exile hoping to follow Perez's path to a top F1 seat
After being ditched by McLaren earlier in his F1 career Sergio Perez fought his way back into a seat with a leading team. BEN EDWARDS thinks the same could be happening to another member of the current grid
How studying Schumacher helped make Coulthard a McLaren F1 mainstay
Winner of 13 grands prix including Monaco and survivor of a life-changing plane crash, David Coulthard could be forgiven for having eased into a quiet retirement – but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, in fact he’s busier than ever, running an award-winning media company and championing diversity in motor racing. Not bad for someone who, by his own admission, wasn’t quite the fastest driver of his generation…
Could F1 move to a future beyond carbonfibre?
Formula 1 has ambitious goals for improving its carbon footprint, but could this include banishing its favoured composite material? PAT SYMONDS considers the alternatives to carbonfibre and what use, if any, those materials have in a Formula 1 setting
How Russell has proven he deserves to be Hamilton's Mercedes heir
He’s fast, he’s smart, and he’s already shown he’s not going to let Max Verstappen intimidate him. George Russell won’t say it, but LUKE SMITH says he’s ready to take the lead at Mercedes when Lewis Hamilton moves on to a quieter life. And – whisper it – Mercedes and Lewis are starting to think so too
The traits that fuelled Alonso's unexpected Aston Martin move
Fernando Alonso’s bombshell switch to Aston Martin sent shockwaves through Formula 1, not least at Alpine that finds itself tangled in a contract standoff with Oscar Piastri. Not shy of a bold career move and with a CV punctuated by them, there were numerous hints that trouble was brewing
The elements Ferrari must resolve to first save face, then win championships
OPINION: Ferrari's Formula 1 title hopes look all but over after another strategic blunder in last week's Hungarian Grand Prix denied Charles Leclerc the chance to fight for victory, while handing it to chief rival Max Verstappen. The Scuderia now faces intense scrutiny over what it must now do to finally become a genuine factor in championship battles
The clues about Hamilton’s F1 retirement plans revealed after Vettel’s decision
OPINION: Sebastian Vettel is set to leave Formula 1 at the end of 2022 and will, rather shockingly, be replaced by Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin. But what about the final chapter of the other driver that defined the post-Michael Schumacher era? In Hungary, Lewis Hamilton spoke about his future in the context of Vettel’s upcoming departure, which offered clues on how long it will last