Daniel Ricciardo says he has not ruled out the possibility of returning to Red Bull as current contract talks with Renault slow.
Ricciardo had been a part of the senior Red Bull outfit since 2014 where he replaced the daparting Mark Webber.
It was with the Milton Keynes squad that Ricciardo scored all seven of his Grand Prix wins to date.
Last year Ricciardo signed with rivals Renault on a reported $1 million plus contract deal. Now talk concerning the Australian’s future have once more arisen as that contract expires at the conclusion of the 2020 season.
But in an interview with Sky Sports F1, Ricciardo was asked whether he would ever consider resigning with his former team once his deal with Renault expires, prompting a surprising response.
“Would I ever rule out going to Red Bull? No… I think something I’ve learned growing up in life is never say never,” said Ricciardo.
“Never completely disregard something – unless it’s going to prison or something! So never say never.”
Ricciardo’s late signing with Renault for the 2019 season shocked the paddock as the French marque has finished no higher than fourth in the constructor’s standings since returning to the sport as a factory team in 2016.
But Ricciardo insisted that he is not shutting the door entirely on Renault just yet, rather admitting that contract talks have been set aside for now given the current circumstances the sport faces,
“It is hard having chats right now, because we are at a stalemate – nothing’s really happened,” he explained. “Normally chats start to come off the back of races, results and momentum.
“There’s honestly not a lot to talk about for now, it’s more about the current situation and how we’re going to deal with it. It’s all pretty slow and steady to be honest at this stage.”
Turning to the current 2020 season, Ricciardo said that while he would be disappointed to see any F1 race go ahead without any fans present, he will back any decision made by the sport’s management to ensure racing can resume as soon as possible.
“There’s obviously a push for a season to happen in the right circumstances.
“If that means some of it or the start of it is behind closed doors, so be it.
“As a competitor and for sure not racing since November, December, all I want to do right now is go racing. So as soon as they say we’re all clear to go… of course with a crowd is nice but if we can still race without [fans] I’ll take that any day.”
