Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul praises Daniel Ricciardo’s performance in the 2020 F1 season as the Australian speaks on two years with the team.
After an underwhelming 2019, F1 2020 proved a remarkably successful season for Ricciardo and Renault, with the former finishing higher in the championship standings than he has since 2017 – two years before he moved to Renault for the 2019 season.
The success for Ricciardo in F1 2020 included two podiums and an additional three fourth places, all occurring in his final season with the team, and long after his departure to McLaren had been confirmed in spring.
Throughout the season, a positive working relationship was maintained between the 31-year-old and Renault, defying all expectation after precedent was set in the form of a veiled dig from the French manufacturer when the termination of their partnership was confirmed.
Abiteboul recognised Ricciardo’s “remarkable performance”, also crediting the former Red Bull driver with positive impactful changes in the team over the two seasons they spent together. “What he’s given first and foremost as a driver, he’s been remarkable, in particular this year,” he said. I think there is no doubt about the progression of the team this year.
“It’s very much a credit to Daniel who’s been clearly leading the charge of the team and behind him a group of people and a group of mechanics and engineers who are doing a remarkable job on track. Off-track, obviously we know Daniel is a great ambassador, is a team leader,” said Abiteboul, who added that Ricciardo was “instrumental” in the progression of Renault.
“He has clearly been instrumental to the changes that we’ve done last year when we had altogether a disappointing season. So, I’ll say that frankly when he joined we knew that it would take a bit of time, that he was not coming into a turnkey organisation. I think I remember those exact words said to Daniel back in the first meeting back in 2018.
“It was not a turnkey organisation but he made an impact and we are so different today to what we were two years and a half ago when we decided to form this partnership. So, in that respect, frankly, it has delivered. It has delivered positively and the irony in all of this is that I believe we are a much stronger team now and he will have to race a much stronger team next year.
“And obviously all of that we will be missing but y’know, we’re also glad to see him in a great team and we look forward to an exciting battle against McLaren and Daniel next year,” summed up Abiteboul. Ricciardo, too, noted significant changes between the organisation in its current form, and that which it had in 2019 upon his arrival. Among the “positive” changes he observed, he says, is renewed confidence.
“Absolutely, I can definitely spot some differences – and I think some positive ones,” said Ricciardo to media including F1, Motorsport Network, Racefans.net, BBC, AMuS and more. “I’m certainly not going to sit here and claim all of that – not at all – but I do believe the team I walked into at the beginning of last year is now a different team.
“I’ve seen a team grow with confidence, self-belief and obviously the facts are they’ve built a better car over the last 12 months. You guys see on paper, but as far as atmosphere within the team, I certainly see a change – a positive change – and that’s been really nice. How much of it is down to me, I don’t know. But obviously I certainly felt I tried to create something or change something for the better,” summed up Ricciardo.
Talking about some memories, Ricciardo says that a distinct memory came with his first race at the team, despite the DNF that it yielded. He also points to the Eifel Grand Prix as a notable race, it being one that he enjoyed the first of two podiums at in 2020.
“I think honestly I’ll keep the memory of my first race last year because it was a race, or the whole weekend I felt I just left quite… a little frustrated obviously with the race itself but everything it was a bit of a hit of like ‘okay, we’ve still got a lot of work to do’ and I kind of feel like you remember, in short, you remember the hard times and then appreciate the good times,” said Ricciardo.
“So I’ll certainly remember that and now look back on it and actually see how much we’ve changed, how much we’ve improved, how much more confidence we all have I think in the team. So that feels in a way like an eternity ago, but I think it’s important to remember that because it really is just proof of what we’ve done I think.
“Obviously Nurburgring is the standout, the first podium and yeah, hearing a few F-bombs from Cyril that was nice. Everyone was just elated with that, it was awesome,” Ricciardo concluded, as he now leaves a better to-be Alpine in the hands of Fernando Alonso.
Here’s news on Infiniti leaving Renault, F1
Here’s the drivers’ Top 10 of 2020
Here’s stats difference from 2019 to 2020
