Formula 1: Will Daniel Ricciardo drive for Renault in 2019?

Is Renault one of the several teams for which Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo could drive in the 2019 Formula 1 season?

There is no doubt that Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo is one of the most talented drivers in Formula 1. He is currently in the final season of his contract at Red Bull Racing and is considered the top free agent of the 18 active Formula 1 drivers who do not currently have contracts that extend beyond the conclusion of this season.

With Red Bull Racing being one of the top three teams in Formula 1, it was widely believed that Ricciardo would either sign a new contract, which he has until August to do, to remain there in the 2019 season or sign a contract with one of the sport’s top two teams, which are Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport and Scuderia Ferrari.

With Red Bull Racing set to end their 12-year relationship with Renault and switch from Renault engines to Honda engines in the 2019 season, it is widely believe that Ricciardo may not want to continue driving for the team since the Honda engines were extremely unreliable when used by McLaren, the team that switched from Honda engines to Renault engines before this season, when they used then from the 2015 season to the 2017 sesaon.

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With Mercedes not currently considering potentially hiring drivers from a rival team to fill their driver lineup, which has two seats that are set to open up at the end of the 2018 season, as four-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas are both in the final seasons of their contracts, it is unlikely that Ricciardo will end up driving there in the 2019 season.

With Ferrari having revealed that they are ready to replace 2007 Formula 1 champion Kimi Raikkonen with 20-year-old Charles Leclerc, a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy who currently drives in Formula 1 for Alfa Romeo Sauber, next season to pair him with four-time Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel, who is one of only two drivers who has a contract that runs beyond the conclusion of the 2018 season, as he signed a new contract to remain with the team through the 2020 season last summer, it is unlikely that Ricciardo will end up driving there in the 2019 season as well.

With all of that in mind, where will Ricciardo end up driving in the 2019 season if he does, in fact, leave Red Bull Racing? Renault Sport is certainly a possible destination, especially seeing as how Carlos Sainz Jr., who is currently in his first season driving for Renault, has only been “loaned” to the Renault from Red Bull Racing for one season and still technically belongs to the Milton Keynes-based team.

Therefore, if Ricciardo does end up leaving Red Bull Racing, Sainz Jr. would be the likely replacement for him, which would open up a seat at Renault for him to take.

But would Ricciardo take this seat in the 2019 season? He discussed it slightly when discussing the possibility of driving for McLaren next year. Here is what he had to say about the matter, according to ESPN.

"“I’m not going to say it doesn’t interest me at all. Probably more because what Lewis [Hamilton] was able to do with Mercedes. If you’re saying those two teams, they are not quite in that position yet, but could they be? Maybe.“The thought of that has some appeal. I wouldn’t say it’s top of my list now. But I wouldn’t dismiss it also…McLaren and Renault aren’t there today but maybe they will be there in a year or three years’ time. You never know.“Lewis pulled the trigger pretty well. Whether he fluked it or he said it was going to happen, I don’t know! Whether he fluked it or not, he did well for himself with that move. Whether it’s just a fantasy for everyone else, at least there is some proof something like that can happen again.”"

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Will Daniel Ricciardo drive for Renault in the 2019 Formula 1 season? If not, where will he end up driving next year? Will he continue driving for Red Bull Racing, or will he drive for a team such as Mercedes, Ferrari or McLaren?

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