Within the short space of two hours we had strong rumour that Daniel Ricciardo had informed his Red Bull team he was leaving them at the end of the season, to the Australian being confirmed alongside Nico Hulkenberg at Renault for 2019.

It was a move that no one had really planned for and was something of a bombshell. In fact, for Ricciardo, a Red Bull contract was on the verge of being signed no more than two days before. Renault Sport confirmed that the 29-year-old is locked in to a two-year deal, up to the end of 2020, and most importantly just before the power unit reset in 2021.

Up until Friday morning it seemed a near-certainty that Esteban Ocon was destined for Enstone, with the French squad determined to land a Frenchman in one of their cars for next year. What this means for the 21-year-old isn’t yet clear, considering the lack of competitive seats left available for the Mercedes junior. The same can also be said for Carlos Sainz, and whether he moves back into the Red Bull frame or switches out to McLaren.

For Ricciardo, it’s perhaps the best-placed move he could have made. With Mercedes and Ferrari never materialising to viable options; Mercedes’ reluctance to upset the harmony in their garage and Ferrari’s unwillingness to offer the seven-time race winner what he believes he’s worth, a move to F1’s third works team could lead to be as inspired a decision since Lewis Hamilton left McLaren to join Mercedes in 2013.

For Renault, it’s a huge coup and arguably their best signing since Fernando Alonso. A tried and tested winner with raw speed, an unnatural ability to stop a car in very little distance, an unwavering temperament behind the wheel and a fountain of knowledge and feedback give Ricciardo an edge only few drivers can match. Plus he’s equally the most marketable driver on the grid alongside Hamilton, thanks to his trademark smile and quirky personality. His signing serves as something of a slap in the face to Red Bull.

As Ricciardo rightly pointed out, Renault have won every single time they’ve competed in the sport, and their two-year triumph in 2005 and 2006 isn’t too distant a memory. The proof is in the results, Renault have improved every season since returning as a manufacturer, finishing ninth in 2016, fifth in 2017 and currently sit 4th on this year’s table, with the team getting stronger, and faster, as each weekend goes by.

For now, akin to Hamilton’s switch to Mercedes, the move is one step backwards but with the notion of moving two steps forward just as quickly. Renault mean business, and the money they’re investing (on par with Mercedes and Ferrari) proves that.

Ricciardo’s move was undoubtedly influenced by Red Bull partnering with Honda next year, with the Australian appearing to lack faith in the project and whether or not they can be competitive in his timescale. He also wanted to avoid the situation where he’d lose equality with his teammate, Max Verstappen. With Red Bull seemingly hedging their bets on the Dutchman for the future, Ricciardo’s move is a personal guarantee to himself that he won’t let that happen.

As touched upon above, what this does mean is that the driver market has been blown wide open after everyone in the paddock had resigned themselves to the status quo again. Red Bull need to draft in a replacement for the seven-time race winner, either Sainz or Pierre Gasly, Ocon now needs to re-evaluate what he does and if he stays at Force India, which in turn causes a blockage for Lance Stroll, who was expected to move to the Silverstone-based team after a cash injection from father, Lawrence. The jigsaw has jumbled again, and it’s not yet clear how it goes back together.

For once, silly season has actually delivered. And Formula One 2019 just got a whole lot more exciting.

Image courtesy of Aston Martin Red Bull Racing