Daniel Ricciardo says he isn't sure why Ferrari overlooked him for the seat set to be vacated by Sebastian Vettel at the end of 2020.
Admitting that talks with the Maranello team took place, Australian Ricciardo is instead moving from Renault to McLaren for 2021.
"There have been discussions (with Ferrari) already from a few years back," Ricciardo told CNN. "And that continued all the way through to now."
Asked why the talks didn't lead to a contract, the former Red Bull driver answered: "I don't know actually and I've never really chosen to dive too deep into it.
"Everyone says it would be a good fit, obviously with my name and all the background stuff, but I try not to get emotionally caught up in any kind of situation.
"I see how Carlos (Sainz) is a fit for the team. So I don't really look at it like 'Why not me?' I just look at it like Carlos had a very strong 2019, he's a bit of hot property right now, and I guess it's a good fit for where they're at," the 30-year-old said.
As for why he decided to switch to McLaren rather than stick with Renault, Ricciardo continued: "I can't actually give you a black and white answer.
"There wasn't any moment which was like a light bulb and said 'Yes, that's what I need to do'," he said. "Equally, there wasn't something I saw in McLaren, which created that or there wasn't something in Renault which created the moment of 'I have to move on'.
"Obviously it's not an overnight decision. To compare the two I guess I don't think is fair."
