Out of the frying pan: exiting Red Bull
At the end of 2014, Vettel had decided to quit Red Bull and head to Ferrari, which meant Ricciardo was now de facto team leader. Joined by Daniil Kvyat, Ricciardo had every hope that Red Bull would be able to make Mercedes' reign at the top of F1 a short one. Unfortunately it didn't turn out that way.
The 2015 season starkly demonstrated just how steeply Red Bull's star had fallen: there were no pole positions, no race wins, and the team dropped to fourth in the constructors championship with Ricciardo down in eighth and even behind Kvyat in the drivers standings. The following year saw something of a revival in form for the team and driver, but there was now a new threat closer to home looming for Ricciardo in the shape of Max Verstappen, who was brought in to replace Kvyat five races into the season. The Dutchman sensationally won on his first outing with the senior squad in Spain, and even though Ricciardo subsequently balanced the scales with a victory of his own in Malaysia later in the season, it was clear that things had changed within the team.
Red Bull's decision to end its long-time contract with Renault in favour of a new collaboration with Honda did not sit well with Ricciardo
The momentum between the pair continued its slow swing in 2017 with Verstappen winning two races, compared to just a single solitary success for Ricciardo in Azerbaijan. The following season it was a dead heat of two wins apiece for the two drivers, with Ricciardo memorably victorious in the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix after starting from pole position for the second time that season. It seemed that the older guy still had the measure of the young pretender after all - for the time being at least.
But Ricciardo sensed otherwise, with Verstappen increasingly getting first pick at the team - including a long-term contract extension, while Ricciardo was still locked in negotiations over terms. Moreover, the team's decision to end its long-time contract with Renault in favour of a new collaboration with Honda did not sit well with Ricciardo, who was concerned about linking up with the Japanese manufacturer so soon after its disastrous partnership with McLaren. Ricciardo felt loyal to Renault, and on August 3 2018 he duly announced that he was splitting from Red Bull after nine years there, in order to take up a two-year appointment at Enstone.
