Daniel Ricciardo took the big paycheck with major move as he did not expect to win F1 titles, claims former Red Bull executive

Former Red Bull executive Mark Gallagher feels that Daniel Ricciardo's move to Renault at the end of the 2018 season was him opting for the "big paycheck" because he knew that the title was not on the table for him.

During his appearance on the GP racing magazine podcast, Mark Gallagher said that despite knowing that he wouldn't have the opportunity to win titles at Renault, Ricciardo made the switch due to the financial benefits.

"He’s just had this slightly turbulent time, really, since he left Red Bull Racing. We all remember he took that flight where he sat on the plane thinking about, ‘should I stay at Red Bull or should I go’, and he decided, ‘I’ve got to take the plunge and go to Renault’," Gallagher said.

"Someone close to Daniel, close to Red Bull, said to me not long afterwards, ‘he has cashed in, he has taken the money, he’s gone for the big paycheck because he knows the World Championship is not going to come to him’," he added.

Speaking about Daniel Ricciardo's thought process at the time, Gallagher said that the Australian knew a title at Red Bull was not possible with Max Verstappen already established.

"'It’s certainly not going to come to him at Red Bull because Max [Verstappen] is the number one. Actually, he knows it’s not going to come to him at Renault but [Renault team boss] Cyril Abiteboul is going to pay him a massive amount of money'," Gallagher continued.

"Why would you not take it? Because when you’re getting into your 30s and you realise that that World Championship prospect is diminishing, take the big money. Why wouldn’t you? Because that’s going to set you up forever in a day," he added.

Gallagher also stated that "another big paycheck" was once again the motivation behind Ricciardo's eventual move to McLaren.

“Not only did he manage to get that big offer and then deliver the podium result that he and Cyril had talked about, he then got lured to McLaren with another big paycheck. And of course, again, why wouldn’t he take that? But it’s been a very different experience at McLaren,” he said.

Was Daniel Ricciardo's gamble justified?

It's difficult to say if Daniel Ricciardo trying to take his destiny into his own hands in 2018 was the correct decision or not. At the time, he was no longer the lead driver at Red Bull and was witnessing Lewis Hamilton, who had dared to take a gamble on Mercedes, succeed and win titles with ease.

Daniel Ricciardo moved to Renault after the 2018 season hoping to replicate Lewis Hamilton's career trajectory. In his first year at Renault, the Australian finished 9th in the championship with 54 points. After a two-year spell with Renault, Ricciardo went to McLaren as Carlos Sainz's replacement.

In retrospect, the move might appear to be a failure, but at the time, it seemed worth the gamble.