Daniel Ricciardo would have 'hated himself forever' if stayed at Red Bull: Damon Hill

Daniel Ricciardo would have "hated himself forever" if he stayed at Red Bull rather than taking a chance with Renault, former F1 world champion Damon Hill says.

The Aussie driver is about to launch his maiden campaign with Renault at the Australian Grand Prix, having taken a lucrative deal to leave Red Bull. A key factor in the decision appeared to be that teammate Max Verstappen had won favouritism in the Red Bull garage.

Hill told the Herald Sun that Ricciardo, 29, was too good to submit to life as a No.2 driver. He also said that if Ricciardo made Renault believe that he could return them as an F1 force, the famed team may open its purse strings to compete with Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull.

“I think he might have spotted an opportunity at Renault. It’s a team that potentially could bring the fight to Ferrari and Mercedes. They have huge resources if they want to use them,” said Hill, the 1996 world champion for Williams.

“If the car is going well they will pour in money. And they have a history in the sport, it’s not like they’ve never done it before. I’m hoping it’s a smart move for him.

“They have shown already, they have upped their game, upped their investment, upped their personnel and the car didn’t look too bad in testing as well. I think in that sense it’s the right call to make.”

In one respect, Ricciardo is already winning with his Renault deal. It has been reported that the Aussie will earn $49 million per season to drive for the French team, with who he has a two-year deal.