Ricciardo: "Red Bull haven't done anything more than when I was there"

Renault star Daniel Ricciardo has once again come out to defend his switch from Aston Martin Red Bull Racing to the French team this year, as the Aussie feels Red Bull haven't made much progress since he was there last year.

The 2018 season featured two wins for Ricciardo in China and Monaco but was also riddled with mechanical retirements, with frustration growing with each one. After the Mexican Grand Prix, where his car again broke down after he'd put it on pole position, he said it was "cursed".

This season, he made the move to Renault, a team which is further down the grid from Red Bull but which has potential to grow into a contender, should development go as planned.

Speaking to Australian news outlet Fairfax Media, the 30-year-old again underlined why he remains happy with his switch away from the Bulls.

"On my side, there's no regrets," the seven-time Grand Prix winner said.

"I've tried to picture myself at Red Bull this year and look at the potential results I could have had, but I don't feel I would be feeling any different to what I felt last year.

"I don't feel like I would have progressed. Max [Verstappen] has won a couple of races, but they haven't done anything more than they did when I was there."

With new engine partners Honda, Red Bull have certainly had a significant downturn in mechanical retirements, although on the performance side, they are still lacking compared to rivals Ferrari and Mercedes.

While the Honda-partnership was always more focussed to compete for the title in 2020, Ricciardo sees no progress as he thinks he would've been as frustrated at Red Bull now as he was last season.

"I would have maybe stood on the podium a few times, but I've done that before, and ultimately it's not getting everything that I want [out of F1]. Knowing what Red Bull should be capable of, I don't feel it would be fulfilling for me."