Daniel Ricciardo sends fans wild as Ford announce long-awaited return

Daniel Ricciardo has F1 fans all aflutter thanks to a simple post on social media, appearing to tease a forthcoming announcement.

The Australian posted across his social channels, simply writing: "More around the corner..." with two pictures – one of him standing with a Ford Raptor, and one of the new Ford Racing logo on the front of that truck.

Whether the cryptic post signals a return to racing for Ricciardo or not is yet to be seen, but one return is absolutely unambiguous: that of Ford Racing, as shown in the post of the ex-F1 star.

Ford Racing was folded into Ford Performance some years ago, but the company announced the return of the iconic name on Thursday with a video promo on social media and a statement from general manager Will Ford.

Ricciardo F1 fans speculate on racing return

The replies to Ricciardo's tweet were, predictably, full of speculation, with one user writing 'Papa you doing some WRC or Dakar! I'll be rooting for you Dani, keep smiling and send it!' and another simply saying 'Nascar? That'd be fun.'

One user, fittingly with the handle '@rictirement', got to the crux of the matter quickly, asking: "so are you employed or is this bc ford went from "ford performance" to "ford racing"? but even then... what are we doing?"

Another added, rather excitedly: "HE'S COMING BACK TO F1 WITH FORD!"

One user had an incredibly sneaky suggestion, and wrote: "Replace Yuki. That should be the next move."

Ricciardo has stated before that an F1 return is off the cards, but the new Ford Racing project appears to be something altogether more exciting.

Ford Racing General Manager Will Ford said in a statement: "Today, Ford Performance becomes Ford Racing. This is not a marketing exercise. This is a promise. It signals a new, more focused mission to tear down the wall between our race teams and the engineering of the vehicles you drive every day on and off road."

Later in the emotional post, he wrote: "Make no mistake: We are competing at the highest levels across the globe – from Formula 1 to the World Rally Championship, from Le Mans to Bathurst. And we are going there with a single purpose. We don’t just go to races. We go to win."

Ford will also return to F1 with Red Bull from next year, hence the suggestion from many hopeful fans that the pinnacle of motorsport hasn't seen the last of the 36-year-old.

From 2026, the manufacturer will help develop the team's new power unit project rather than just being a sticker on the side of the car, as the brand scale up their efforts in the racing world.

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