Former F1 star Daniel Ricciardo's issues 'important announcement' for new drive opportunities

Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo's issues 'important announcement' for new drive opportunities

Daniel Ricciardo has his own driver academy

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Saturday 20 December 2025 21:13

Former F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo has announced some new opportunities for young racing stars.

Ricciardo was a fan favourite in F1, racing in the series between 2011-2024 winning eight grands prix in that time, before being axed in September 2024 by Racing Bulls.

Now, Ricciardo is working as a global ambassador for Ford having announced his retirement from racing, but he also runs his own junior racing competition, the Daniel Ricciardo Series (DRS).

Article continues under video

Ricciardo seeks to give young karters a start in their racing careers, and find the next star of the future.

Now, the Aussie has revealed in a post on Instagram that the DRS series will be looking next year for drivers to be promoted onto a Ginetta Junior Scholarship, with Ricciardo himself judging an assessment of several racers vying for the opportunity.

The Ginetta Junior Championship is the UK's premier single-make junior motorsport series for 14-17 year olds, and is a major step on the ladder to becoming a full-time professional racer.

"Hey DRS drivers, just want to wish you a happy holidays, I know another year has passed, it goes quick," the Aussie began in his video.

"I hope you had a great time on track, I know I saw plenty of smiles in the summer so I hope they continued till the end and to keep them going, some news for 2026.

"We're going to be selecting, and by we I also mean me, two drivers between the ages of 14 and 17 for the Ginetta Junior Scholarship, so that's pretty exciting to get the chance to drive a race car and experience that.

"And if any of you want to just race karts and experience what it's like to go wheel-to-wheel, that is more than what we are about, but also for starting your racing career, it's all there for you so plenty of room in the DRS cadet and junior series.

"I'll also be at some races next year, look forward to seeing youse, until then have a wonderful holiday, enjoy some time off and see you in 2026."

What is Daniel Ricciardo doing now?

Since we last saw Ricciardo on the F1 grid, he has spent a lot of time relaxing and enjoying his time off, as per his Instagram, but in recent months he has started pursuing other projects.

As well as having a more hands-on role within the DRS series, Ricciardo has also started his work as a global ambassador for Ford Racing, although he is not involved with the American car manufacturer's new partnership with his former Red Bull F1 team.

Ricciardo also has a clothing brand, Enchante, which has seemingly been going from strength to strength in recent times, and that has seen the Australian former racer present at a number of cities for pop-up shops.

F1 Daniel Ricciardo