F1 star Daniel Ricciardo discusses career SWITCH as Red Bull set to announce driver decision

Daniel Ricciardo

Ricciardo discusses career SWITCH as Red Bull set to announce driver decision

RB driver Daniel Ricciardo has been considering a career away from the track

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Tuesday 17 September 2024 21:58 Updated: 22:04

Formula 1 fan favourite Daniel Ricciardo has admitted considering a career off the track as he is faced with an uncertain future within the pinnacle of motorsport.

The 35-year-old currently drives for Red Bull's sister team, Visa Cash App RB, but with his contract set to expire at the end of this season, has already begun to weigh up the options of a career change.

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Having been an integral part of the Red Bull family since debuting as a test driver in 2009, Ricciardo has made no secret of his ambitions to return to the main team.

With his career consisting of many ups and downs, most notably when he was left without a seat for the 2023 season following his early contract termination at McLaren, this isn't the first time Ricciardo has been on the brink of a permanent exit from F1.

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Daniel Ricciardo has been frequently outperformed by team-mate Yuki Tsunoda

Liam Lawson has been touted as a potential replacement for Ricciardo at RB

Ricciardo considers career change

Having mostly been outperformed by RB team-mate Yuki Tsunoda at the junior team, the Aussie's chances at a Red Bull promotion looked thin.

However, a string of improved performances for Ricciardo coincided with a significant dip in form for Sergio Perez, who has succumbed to the pressure of the Red Bull family this season.

Despite Red Bull's commitment to Perez earlier this season, Ricciardo's name has been widely linked to a mid-season swap for the main team as they look to reclaim their lead in the constructors' standings from McLaren.

Although Perez had looked off the pace for the majority of the 2024 season, his spark seemingly returned last weekend at Baku, with a podium within his sights before a spectacular crash with the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz.

Red Bull therefore have quite the dilemma on their hands as to whether to extend Ricciardo's contract with RB, promote him back up to the main team to replace an underperforming Perez, or potentially end his F1 career for good at the end of this year.

A decision is now expected from Red Bull after the Singapore GP this weekend, but with his future uncertain, Ricciardo has revealed he has considered life away from F1, discussing his job prospects should he not retain his seat for 2025.

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In an interview with the Daily Mail, Ricciardo admitted that there are in fact a number of alternative sporting professions he would enjoy pursuing.

Discussing his sporting abilities, Ricciardo said: "I'm good on wheels and actually ball sports, my hand-eye coordination I think is OK, but mountain biking would be something I'd be better at than surfing.

"I do love the outdoors, I love the more extreme sports so getting to surf and mountain bike all in the same trip is my idea of an amazing trip and an amazing holiday."

When considering if he could try his hand at such sports on a professional level, Ricciardo admitted: "I'm not going to say I need to be professional at any of those sports, but if I could get to do those sports on the daily then I am going to live a very happy life."

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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F1 Red Bull Lewis Hamilton McLaren Daniel Ricciardo