Renault's Marcin Budkowski says the French squad was "flattered" by Red Bull's decision not to let Daniel Ricciardo run with the team at F1's post-season test in Abu Dhabi last December.
Red Bull Racing refused to grant Renault's request for Ricciardo's early release to allow the Aussie to get acquainted with his new team by running at Yas Marina, basing its decision on a few remaining "obligations" associated with its driver's contract.
Renault duly took note, but Budkowski actually believes the snub was a reflection of Red Bull's fear of the French outfit and its reluctance to provide its rival with any sort of early advantage for 2019.
"We would have loved him to drive the car in Abu Dhabi but we couldn’t make that happen," explained Renault F1's executive director.
"We’re disappointed that we couldn’t get his feedback on last year’s car because it would have been very useful to us.
"The fact it didn’t happen, without pointing fingers, is quite flattering to us because it means other people are afraid of us and don’t want to give us anything that could be a competitive advantage."
Ricciardo's shock move to Renault has been debated at length by pundits with few convinced it will pay the 29-year-old a handsome dividend in the next couple of years.
Renault however are obviously delighted to have secured the services of a seven-time Grand Prix winner.
"He is a race winner. He is bringing us an experience that we don’t have in the team today," added Budkowski.
"He has been working with a top team for a number of years, so he will bring us some understanding in terms of direction and development of the car, of set-up of the car, which is useful learning for us.
"It has been a huge motivation boost for everyone at the team to have someone like Daniel coming, obviously because he is Daniel, the driver and person he is.
"But also a race winner, from a team that is challenging for wins and potentially the championship, believes in our project and joins our organisation at this stage.
"[That] says a lot about the project and says a lot about what we are trying to build here and it all goes together."
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