OFFICIAL: Red Bull confirm Ricciardo departure

Daniel Ricciardo will leave Red Bull when his contract expires at the end of the year, it has been confirmed. Ricciardo has reportedly agreed a deal with Renault for 2019 after growing frustrated with Red Bull's insistence to place Max Verstappen as the lead driver in their setup.

The move is likely to further open up the bitter divide between Red Bull and Renault, which has festered in recent years over the French marque's inability to match Mercedes and Ferrari in the power stakes.

Red Bull have taken the plunge and signed a deal with Honda for the 2019 season - a factor which could also play a role if Ricciardo does decide to leave.

Ricciardo reportedly met with Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz at the Austrian Grand Prix, but was not assured that he would be on an equal footing with Verstappen.

The Dutchman has previously revealed that he is seen as the "title project" inside Red Bull, with motorsport advisor Dr Helmut Marko placing him on a similar footing that Sebastian Vettel enjoyed in the team.

Vettel was generally favoured over Australian team-mate Mark Webber, who railed against his 'number-two driver' status. Ricciardo, it seems, is keen to avoid falling into a similar situation to his compatriot.

Team principal Christian Horner said: “We fully respect Daniel’s decision to leave Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and we wish him all the best in his future. We would like to thank him for his dedication and the role he has played since joining the Team in 2014, the highlights of course being the seven wins and the 29 podiums he has achieved so far with us.

“We will now continue to evaluate the numerous options available to us before deciding on which driver partners Max Verstappen for the 2019 season. In the meantime, there are still nine races left in 2018 and we are fully focused on maximising every opportunity for Max and Daniel for the remainder of the season.”

WHO'S NEXT FOR RED BULL?

[bijlage2]

Ricciardo's departure could provide Carlos Sainz Jr with the chance to step up to the senior Red Bull team and link up once again with his former Toro Rosso colleague Verstappen.

However, McLaren are thought to also be in the market for the Spaniard, having seen a move for Ricciardo earlier this year rebuffed, which could see Pierre Gasly promoted from Toro Rosso.

Of their future plans, Marko told Motorsport Magazin that a decision would not be made in haste.