Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has confirmed he looked at signing Daniel Ricciardo for the 2019 season. According to Wolff, these talks stopped due to the improved performance of Valtteri Bottas.
Ricciardo is starting a new chapter at Renault this season. This time last year, he confirmed he wanted to move into a car which had the chance of winning the world championship. Following this, a surprise move from Red Bull occurred.
But during this time, Mercedes approached Ricciardo.
We have always looked at Daniel," Wolff said in a conversation with the Brazilian Globo.
“When you're happy in your relationship, you don't flirt with other women. If we were still unhappy with Valtteri in May or June, we would have continued the talks. Valtteri, however, started to perform better, so we didn't want to waste Daniel's time."
Bottas signed a new deal with Mercedes in July, lasting one year. Wolff sounds keen to see quick improvements from his Finnish driver.
"Valtteri is safe in 2019, but he knows what to do," Wolff said finally.