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Renault: Ricciardo will inspire title hopes

Renault: Ricciardo will "inspire" title hopes

04-08-2018 15:50
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Nicolás Quarles van Ufford

Renault shocked the F1 world to its core yesterday by announcing that Daniel Ricciardo had signed for them for the coming years, and the French team have now explained the move by saying the Aussie has to inspire the team to win a potential title in the future.

Renault haven't won a title since Fernando Alonso won his second championship on the bounce in 2006, as the team was discontinued a few years later. Since their return to the sport, Renault have been steadily improving, and they look to be the best team in the so-called 'best of the rest' bracket this season. However, a title challenge looks far away as of now, as Ferrari and Mercedes are still comfortably the best teams.

"Renault decided to come back to Formula One to fight for World Championships," Renault F1 president Jerome Stoll explained to GPfans when talking about the Ricciardo signing.

"Signing Daniel Ricciardo is a unique opportunity for the Groupe Renault towards this objective that could not be missed.

"We welcome Daniel's arrival to our team, still in the making, but more motivated than ever."

Renault have looked good this year, but the French team hasn't yet finished on the podium since their return to F1 in 2016. Cyril Abiteboul, team principal at Renault, counters this point by saying Ricciardo will inspire them to do better.

"Daniel's signing underscores our determination to accelerate our progress towards the forefront of the sport.

"We will have to repay his faith in us by delivering the best car possible.

"We welcome him to our growing team in 2019 with a great deal of pride, but also humility."