Ex-F1 star Daniel Ricciardo tipped for racing return after Red Bull and Max Verstappen comparison

Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo tipped for racing return after Red Bull and Verstappen comparison

Daniel Ricciardo has been out of F1 since September 2024

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Saturday 7 June 2025 21:56

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A Supercars analyst has suggested that one of the series' biggest teams should be looking to acquire Daniel Ricciardo for a future drive in the sport.

Ricciardo has been out of motorsport since last September, when he was axed by Formula 1 team Racing Bulls after a dismal 2024 season.

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The 35-year-old was replaced by Liam Lawson, who then went on to be given a promotion to the main Red Bull team - where Ricciardo drove between 2014 and 2018.

Shortly after this boost however, the New Zealander was demoted once more back down to the junior team where Ricciardo last raced.

The Aussie star has regularly been linked with a return to F1, namely through the new Cadillac team entering the sport in 2026, but the fan-favourite driver has admitted he's 'done' with the series - despite not officially announcing his retirement.

That has not stopped the ex-F1 star being linked with a move to other racing series around the world, with NASCAR and the Supercars Championship looking like the most likely destinations should Ricciardo choose to return to the track.

Now, five-time Supercars Championship champion Mark Skaife has told Speedcafe that General Motors (GM) should be looking to sign a real racing superstar to bolster their ranks.

"I think overall, the policy around having superstar drivers, I can’t emphasise enough how essential it is," he said. "It’s just fact.

"Where would Red Bull be without Verstappen? They’d be nowhere. To me, GM finding a, or maybe a couple, of real stars is essential.

"I thought when I read about GM trying to get Cam Waters, that made a lot of sense to me.

"But I’d be looking at some other scenarios. I’d be picking the phone up to someone like a Dan Ricciardo or a Matt Campbell. I’d be looking outside our current sphere to try and procure an absolute superstar."

Has Ricciardo retired from F1?

Strictly speaking, Ricciardo has not retired from F1, but it looks unlikely that he would seek out a return to the sport.

The likes of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez - who were also both dropped by their former teams in 2024 - have been vocal about wanting to return to the grid, and are understood to have been actively holding talks with F1 outfits.

Ricciardo, meanwhile, has been deathly silent on his future aspirations, instead using social media mainly to promote his various business ventures, as well as poking fun at former team-mate Verstappen.

It means we have likely seen the end of Ricciardo in F1, but he will surely go down as one of the most successful drivers to have never won a world championship, having claimed eight race victories and 32 podiums between 2011 and 2024.