But how soon will Ricciardo be able to win races with Renault?
Thursday 6 December 2018 11:25, UK
Renault hope comparisons between their signing of Daniel Ricciardo and Lewis Hamilton's move to Mercedes ultimately prove accurate, as they target their own chapter of F1 success with their incoming star recruit.
In the biggest surprise F1 transfer for years, Ricciardo is swapping Red Bull for Renault at the end of the season despite his current team comfortably outperforming his new one this year.
Hamilton made a similarly unexpected switch from McLaren to a then-underperforming Mercedes squad in 2013 and, against most expectations at the time, the Englishman has since won three further world titles and cemented his place towards the top of F1's all-time statistical tables.
And Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul wants F1's latest shock transfer to work out for team and driver in similar long-term fashion.
"I genuinely believe there was a good reason for him and for us for that happening now and this point in his and our journey," Abiteboul told Sky F1. "But it's not something we are taking lightly. We know this is a big decision.
"I think he has in mind some good examples in the past. [With] Lewis Hamilton, everyone is obviously trying to draw some comparison.
"I hope and believe there will be that comparison and the next reference will be Renault and Daniel in the future in the history books."
When can Ricciardo win with Renault?
Hamilton won one race in his debut season at Mercedes in 2013, three fewer than his final season at McLaren, but from 2014 his new team started dominating the sport following a big change in engine rules.
Since the current engines were introduced, only the leading three teams - Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull - have won races, with Renault (then Lotus) finishing on the podium just once in 91 races, at the 2015 Belgian GP.
Renault are fourth in this year's Constructors' Championship but have not lapped within a second of pole position at any race this season.
Ricciardo, who turned 29 in July and is in his eighth season of F1, had previously stressed his desire to be in a championship-winning car, but acknowledges Renault are "unlikely" to be ready for that in 2019.
"Obviously next year, being realistic, it's unlikely. Unlikely, I think, is a fair word," said Ricciardo.
"Mercedes and Ferrari are the ones doing it consistently, obviously we've been able to win some races this year but in terms of really fighting for a championship it's hard to deny Mercedes and Ferrari looking at next year. So, yeah, their short to medium-term plan looked really encouraging.
"I think what they've done in the last two years, the progress they've made, it encouraged me and developments they're making at the factory, and yeah, I think what they're doing with their finances, where they're spending basically, and the way they're doing it, showed me that they want to win and they want to try to get there as soon as possible.
"Obviously, every team wants to win, or try to make it happen - but I saw some really good signs with what they showed me in their presentation and the way they… also their honesty as well. Not telling me we're going to win in Melbourne next year - as much as I'd like that - but the reality of that, it's still going to be a bit of a process but a process which is moving forwards pretty rapidly."
Renault 'weren't highest bidder'
Meanwhile, Abiteboul made clear that Ricciardo's shock move was not motivated by money with the Frenchman suggesting rival teams offered him more lucrative deals.
But, with Ricciardo nonetheless among the highest-regarded drivers in the sport, the Renault boss confirmed his arrival had resulted in the team having to increase their budget at Enstone.
"Renault is the largest car maker involved in Formula 1 - full stop," he said. "So we can afford anything as long as it makes sense.
"Then it's just a question of value for money and whether it makes sense to spend that given where we are in the development of our team. Second, I don't think we were the highest bidder in obtaining Daniel, without going into details.
"He bought into the project not necessarily because of the money. I don't think it would be great to put this sort of light on Daniel. And lastly, it would not make any sense to bring a driver by having to make some concession on our capacity to finance the development of the engine or the chassis. So, in shorthand, obviously it means an increase of our budget."
Get Sky Sports F1 - the home of every race weekend LIVE in 2018.
