'Not a mind-reader': Red Bull still miffed by Daniel Ricciardo's exit

Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner remains at a loss as to why Australian F1 superstar Daniel Ricciardo elected to join Renault at the end of the 2018 season.

Ricciardo had been a consistent race-winner with the Red Bull team, including three wins in that 2018 campaign, but felt he needed a fresh start when he joined the French manufacturer’s works team.

'UTTER CARNAGE': Max Verstappen shines in 'insane' Supercars Eseries

DISASTER: Driver sacked over 'offensive' act on live-stream

It was a decision that caught most F1 pundits and fans by surprise - and Horner is still mystified by the decision to this day.

While there had been some tension between Ricciardo and former teammate Max Verstappen throughout the 2018 season, Horner told Sky F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham he didn’t think that tension was a deal-breaker for the Australian.

“I was disappointed at the time because I’d put a lot into trying to retain Daniel and get him to stay,” Horner said on the In the Pink podcast.

“I just couldn’t understand his decision-making.

“I like Daniel very much, he’s a great guy, he was a great member of this team and if I take off my Red Bull hat I couldn’t understand his logic behind the move that he made.

“If it was for Mercedes or Ferrari I could have understood that.”

Christian Horner ponders Daniel Ricciardo ‘regrets’ over Renault move

Horner, well-known for his uncompromising attitude as Red Bull team principal, says only Ricciardo could say if he regrets his move to Renault for the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

Renault’s 2019 campaign was ultimately a disappointment, plagued by uncharacteristic driver errors by Ricciardo early in the season and a car that underperformed for all but a handful of races.

Red Bull, on the other hand, kept themselves in championship contention after switching to Honda engines, ending their long-running partnership with Renault, who had been their power supplier for most of their time in F1.

“I think only Daniel can answer that,” Horner replied when Pinkham asked if Ricciardo regretted the switch.

“Had he been in the team last year he would have been challenging for victories and pole positions but that wasn’t the case.

“What his thoughts on that are, I’m not a mind-reader.”