Drive to Survive reveals former Renault boss’s attempt to warn Daniel Ricciardo against moving to McLaren
Cyril Abiteboul had cautioned Ricciardo about McLaren CEO Zak Brown.
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Cyril Abiteboul, Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo was ousted by McLaren at the end of the 2022 F1 season. The Australian driver had opted to leave Renault after 2020 in favor of the Woking-based team. However, things did not go to plan, as Danny Ric got outclassed by Lando Norris at the British team. Subsequently, the latest season of Drive to Survive reveals the former Renault Team Principal’s warning for Ricciardo.
Cyril Abiteboul headed the French works team before being shown the door in 2022. Abiteboul was key to Renault signing Daniel Ricciardo in 2019. Consequently, the Frenchman was heartbroken when Daniel decided to switch to McLaren. Although in Drive to Survive’s new season, Cryil reminds the Aussie about a prior warning about the McLaren CEO. The Frenchman whispered, “I told you not to trust Zak.”
This incident took place after McLaren’s official announcement of parting ways with Daniel Ricciardo. The Woking-based team went on to sign Alpine reserve driver Oscar Piastri to replace the 33-year-old. Interestingly, Zak Brown was open to a driver swap with the French team, ensuring that Danny Ric stayed in F1. Brown stated on camera, “If we can get Alpine to do a driver swap – Daniel for Oscar – that would be a great solution.”
“I’d love to see him stay in the sport.” Zak Brown hoped for Alpine to sign Daniel Ricciardo
The Netflix docuseries further uncovered a private conversation between Zak and Alpine F1 boss Laurent Rossi. The McLaren CEO hoped to have a seamless transition for Piastri’s switch from the French team. Zak said, “I feel like I can help. Let’s close this thing out.” On the other hand, Rossi named a few options that Alpine considered to replace the 21-year-old. He replied, “We have Nico Hulkenberg, Mick Schumacher, Pierre Gasly…”
Subsequently, Brown mentioned the name of Daniel Ricciardo. As the McLaren boss hoped to see the 33-year-old continue in F1. Zak stated, “Daniel? I’d love to see him stay in the sport.” Laurent replied with an unclear reply without confirming Alpine’s stance on the Australian driver. Rossi answered, “Maybe we’ll give him a chance.” However, in the end, the French team opted for Pierre Gasly instead.
It seems that Renault (now Alpine) knew the tricks of Zak Brown when Daniel Ricciardo announced his departure from the French team. Unfortunately, Cyril’s wise words rang a little too late for the Australian driver. With the French team declining the opportunity to rehire the 33-year-old for this season. As such, Ricciardo’s McLaren move remains a big mistake in his career.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2353 Articles Published)