Daniel Ricciardo 'offers' made as F1 role at Ford clarified

Daniel Ricciardo's new role with Ford Racing has been clarified, with the Australian not set to take part in the company's entry into F1 with Red Bull in 2026.

After a year away from motorsport entirely, Ricciardo has now landed a new role, as Global Ambassador with Ford Racing, taking up a coveted position with one of the most well-renowned car brands in the world.

Ricciardo was axed from F1 back in September 2024 after disappointing throughout the 2024 season with Red Bull's sister team, and has since been enjoying downtime with friends and family.

Now, however, a report from ESPN suggests that Ricciardo had plenty of offers to join racing series around the world, even though he had already said no to a return to F1.

The above publication states that - as well as reports linking him with Cadillac for 2026 - Ricciardo received offers for a racing seat in both IndyCar and NASCAR, but that he opted to turn them down and is instead taking up an ambassadorial role with Ford.

The American car manufacturer are entering F1 in 2026, working alongside Ricciardo's former Red Bull team to produce power units to power the Red Bull cars from 2026 onwards.

However, ESPN have also revealed that his new role with Ford will not overlap with their F1 commitments, ending rumours that Ricciardo may once again be involved in F1.

Ricciardo retired from F1?

While the Australian fan favourite has never officially retired from F1, it's thought that his career in the series is over.

The now 36-year-old's last chance of a return in 2026 would have been with Cadillac, but when asked about rumours linking him with the new outfit, Ricciardo replied with 'Nah I'm done', which was taken as an unofficial retirement.

Cadillac have instead opted to pick Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas as their drivers for their first season in the sport, while IndyCar star Colton Herta has been signed as their reserve driver.

Ricciardo's new role means that fans will at least get to see the Aussie working within motorsport once more, but he will not be returning to racing just yet.

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