Daniel Ricciardo was at pains to say that he doesn't regret his close season switch from Red Bull to Renault, but was also very keen to stress that he'd much rather be where former team-mate Max Verstappen is on the grid.
The Aussie made a big-money move to Renault after a successful spell with Red Bull which saw him vying for supremacy with Verstappen in a competitive team.
While the Dutchman has went from strength-to-strength this season, his new team-mate Pierre Gasly has struggled, while Ricciardo and Renault have endured a frustrating time, being off the pace and suffering a series of DNFs.
When pushed on whether he would rather still be driving in the Red Bull, Ricciardo was forced to admit that the car looked good, and while saying he had no regrets, wasn't entirely convincing.
He said: "I watched the onboard of Max and it looked pretty planted, and with the Honda [engine] they are doing well.
“It’s a big contrast of where I am and where he is, so I don’t want to say that’s hard to take, but I’d rather be where he is than where I am.
“But equally I still don’t regret anything 12 months down the track.”
Ricciardo also touched on the form of Gasly, admitting that he is surprised how much of a gap has developed between him and Max.
He added: "It’s a tough one with him now because the reality is reality – he is a long way off Max.
“So on one side they are happy with Max and the first pole for him [in Hungary]. But on the other hand I think deep down they know that they could be scoring a lot more points.
“I don’t know what it is at the moment with Pierre because last year he got some big results with Toro Rosso, which was clearly not as good a car as the Red Bull."
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