Ricciardo wants new direction from Renault
Daniel Ricciardo says Renault will need a completely new direction in Formula 1 if it is going to deliver success in the future.
With his Red Bull team poised to continue with the French car manufacturer's power units in 2016, albeit either unbranded or rebranded, Ricciardo has no doubts that only a dramatic new course will allow the engine company to produce the form it wants.
“It’s definitely obvious they have some work ahead of them,” said the Australian. “Pretty much everyone has turned us down, so I don’t think they’re [Renault] out of the picture.
“We put in the B-spec in Brazil and it didn’t show a whole lot. There needs to be or there would need to be some change of direction.”
No stress
Even though Ricciardo is heading in to the final race of the season without an engine deal for next year having been sorted, he insists he is no longer worried about the situation.
Red Bull has already entered the 2016 world championship and has this week announced a host of sponsorship extensions for the next few years.
Speaking about the lack of an engine announcement, Ricciardo said: “It has taken more time than we like but we will have something... They are saying we will have something so don’t stress.”
When asked if he was disappointed that he still did not know at this stage, Ricciardo said: “Sure it would be nice to know.
“There is a bit of weight off knowing we will be on the grid. It would be nice to know how competitive we think we’ll be. It’s one of those things.
“We have been in a bit of a compromised position the last two years so it is sort of nothing new since I joined the team. It is what it is for now.”
No excuses
Ricciardo is reverting to the older specification Renault power unit for this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, after disappointing results from the newest version in Brazil.
He thinks the decision is a sensible one, and means there can be no confusion about the relative performance of the two cars at the Yas Marina.
“At least it’s something we know and Dany’s weekend wasn’t too bad in Brazil, so at least it’s even,” he said. “It’s not like he’s got this and he’s got that. None of us complain or have any excuses.”
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