Merc chief backs Dan

MERCEDES team chief Toto Wolff says his team always had an eye on Daniel Ricciardo, but their happy relationship gave them no need “to flirt with another woman”.

The Australian (pictured), who will make his debut for Renault at the Australian Grand Prix this week, admitted last month to his frustration at being unable to land a seat at either of the two major teams, Mercedes or Ferrari, on the market last year.

Mercedes gave Valtteri Bottas a contract extension to partner Lewis Hamilton for a third year, while Ferrari replaced Kimi Raikkonen with 21-year-old Charles Leclerc.

As those doors closed, Ricciardo signed with the French manufacturer for two seasons after turning his back on Red Bull. But Wolff said it had not been a lack of interest in the Australian, just a contentedness with Bottas partnering Hamilton.

“We always had an eye on Daniel … we really like him in here,” Wolff said. “It’s just the mentality in Mercedes — I sometimes feel if you’re happy in your relationship it is not always easy [to change]. It is like being married, you need to be 100 per cent behind it.

“It was not a lack of interest, it was just that we were in a happy relationship and there was no need to flirt with another woman at that stage.

“The way we would want to operate is we first take the de- cisions if we are happy with our current drivers and if we are not we will entertain a discussion with another driver.

“If it’s 100 per cent clear that if in May or June we wouldn’t have been happy with Valtteri, we would have followed up in discussing with Daniel, but because at that stage of the season Valtteri was performing exceptionally well we did not want to waste Daniel’s time actually.’’

Wolff said he could understand Ricciardo’s decision to move on from Red Bull and rated Renault as a team on the rise that had the resources to support Ricciardo’s talents.

“His move to Renault was about emancipating from the team and the brand that has been behind him,” Wolff said.