Renault bosses were surprised when Daniel Ricciardo agreed to join the team after they were frank with him about the future, telling him that frankly that the team would not be contenders next year.
Speaking on Beyond The Grid podcast special advisor Alain Prost, was asked by host Tom Clarkson if hiring Ricciardo is the final piece of the puzzle for Renault, Prost replied: "If you ask me this kind of question I am going to answer very honestly and I think it’s a little bit too soon because we are not there."
"When we talked to Daniel, it was a very frank discussion. He knows everything, he has seen everything – and he knows he cannot be a world champion next year. We are going to be better for sure, but it’s going to take time."
"We were a bit surprised when he said ‘yes I want to come’. He’s going to allow us to push the team to become even better and better all the time. It’s a little bit more pressure on the team because of him. But at the end, it’s positive pressure," added Prost.
Ricciardo is expected to bank $70-million in a two-year deal with the French manufacturer and brings to an end a career with Red Bull who since 2008 bankrolled his early racing exploits in junior series.
The energy drinks organisation financed his debut at the 2011 British Grand Prix with HRT and the subsequent 11 races before they promoted him to Toro Rosso in 2012. A couple of years later he stepped up to the senior team where he has remained since.
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