Axed F1 star Daniel Ricciardo mocked by rival as bizarre new nickname issued

Mercedes F1 star George Russell has described former driver Daniel Ricciardo as a 'peanut head', suggesting a new nickname for the Australian legend.

Ricciardo has been out of a full-time F1 seat since September 2024, when he was axed by Red Bull's sister team after a dismal campaign.

The team have instead favoured younger drivers, with Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson currently excelling in those seats, while 36-year-old Ricciardo has been out of the racing spotlight ever since.

The Aussie star has already stated he will not return to F1, but has been linked with a number of other racing series including IndyCar and the Supercars Championship.

Having spent almost a whole year without competing in races, one key focus of Ricciardo's training if he were to return to racing would be on his neck, with drivers experiencing huge amounts of G-force running through their neck when in the car.

Now, Mercedes star Russell has alluded to this, while also taking a hilarious dig at his old friend Ricciardo's strength.

"My neck doesn't look massive because my head is so big, but you've got drivers like Daniel Ricciardo with a peanut head and his neck looks quite big so there's a bit of perception in there," Russell told the Untapped podcast.

Going on to talk about the pressure felt on his own neck during a race, Russell revealed: "When you include the weight of your head and the weight of the helmet, you're talking about 55 kilos of force being pushed through.

"So I always - I question it with my girlfriend, who weighs in the 40s about 45 kilos, and I'm like 'I reckon I could hold you on the side of my head!'"

Could Ricciardo return to F1?

Ricciardo has been axed twice in his F1 career - by McLaren in 2022 and VCARB in 2024 - and though his statements about retirement are yet to reveal whether he is done with racing for good, a return to F1 seems extremely unlikely.

A few months ago the Australian fan favourite was being frequently linked with a move to the new Cadillac team, who will join the grid as the 11th outfit in the sport in 2026.

After team principal Graeme Lowdon commented that they were looking for experienced racers, Ricciardo's name was mentioned consistently

However, when the subject was broached to Ricciardo during a fan event, the Australian simply replied, "nah, I'm done," in what has been accepted as an unofficial retirement from the pinnacle of motorsport.

That means the Australian has likely ended his career with the record of eight grands prix victories, 32 podiums and three pole positions.

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