After a disappointing season in Formula 1 at McLaren, which ended with a contract termination, Daniel Ricciardo will return to Red Bull next year as a test driver. But Mercedes was also seriously interested in signing the Australian. Team boss Toto Wolff revealed this in an interview.
Shortly after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo’s future was clear: next year he will be the third driver behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez at Red Bull.
But it wasn’t the only option Ricciardo had in Formula 1. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff confirmed rumors that the German-British team was also interested in signing the 33-year-old.
“Yes, there were talks. Daniel is a great guy. There’s nothing to say. It’s a shame that he’s not in a cockpit because Daniel Ricciardo has to be in a racing car,” said Wolff through the motorsport portal “GPFans” quoted.
Wolff: Ricciardo belongs in a Formula 1 car
“We just needed time to figure out what we really want and Red Bull has been his home for a long time,” added the Austrian. Wolff is certain that the feeling of “returning home” was certainly a decisive factor in the decision against Mercedes.
The Mercedes team boss has no doubts that Ricciardo no longer has the potential for Formula 1 after two disappointing years at McLaren. “Nobody understands why it didn’t work for him at McLaren, like all the years before that. I’ve known Daniel since the Junior Series and he was always at the front,” said Wolff.
Wolff is by no means upset that Ricciardo and the team with the star didn’t work together: “He knows the people there and I hope he’s happy there. It’s sad not to see him as a regular driver, because it simply belongs in a Formula 1 car.”