Daniel Ricciardo believes the majority of the 2019 Fo🐻rmula 1🌠 grid has been produced by talent rising to the top rather than ‘political and financial stuff’.

The 29-year-old triggered a wave of driver switches when he made the shock decision to leave Red Bull for Renault during the summer break. With the knock-on impact of Ricciardo’s move still being felt across the F1 grid, it a꧟ppears Esteban Ocon could become the key driver to miss out a🍎s a result.

Mercedes b𓂃oss Toto Wolff confirmed Ocon had offers to be loaned to both Rena✅ult and McLaren for 2019 but with Ricciardo moving to the French manufacturer and Carlos Sainz Jr also cutting ties to switch to McLaren following Fernando Alonso’s exit both of the French driver’s options fell apart.

While the Laurence Stroll-led purchase of Force India is also playing a role in the key F1 driver moves, which is expected to see his son L⛄ance Stroll move to the Silverstone-based squad, Ricciardo says he unintentionally and indirectly ‘screwed’ Ocon but feels the 2019 F1 grid will be largely decided by talent despite the Frenc༺h driver’s situation.

“I genuinely believe that prꩵetty much the vast majority of the grid now is based around talent,” Ricciardo said. “I don’t 🅷think the sport’s in a bad place at all with that.

“I don’t know Ocon’s situation now. If he doesn’t have a drive next year, sure, he’s worthy of a drive, but I wouldn’t say he’s the first guy that’s missed 🐽it. It’s happened before that drivers with t🐈he talent have lost out.

Ricciardo also feels Ocon’s predicament is nothing new in F1 and is confident the situat💫ion will find a resolution which suits all parties eventually.

“If he [Ocon] didn’t have a seat, do I th💞i🅰nk that’s the end of his F1 career? No, I don’t think it is,” Ricciardo explained. “I feel it’s always gone on, and it’s unfortunate, but I don’t think it’s necessarily in a different place than it has been.

“With the Ocon situation, I didn’t do it to screw him, but obviously the effecꦛt of my move h🎉as put him in a bit of a position now.

“I think now we’ve got morꦚe younger drivers in the field than ever before. I feel old at 29 when there are kids well below their 20s in F1. I don’t think it’s harder, but it’s always been the case. It’s not always that clear that this guy is in because he’s currently the best guy in junior formulas and that’s why he’s in F1. There’s political stuff and there’s fཧinancial stuff as well that’s always involved.”