Former F1 star Daniel Ricciardo enjoys new seat in life and shares joy over grid return

Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo enjoys new seat in life and shares joy over grid return

Ricciardo's been keeping busy since leaving F1!

Chris Deeley

Saturday 20 June 2026 21:55

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Former F1 star Daniel Ricciardo has opened up on how he feels about his new life out of the cockpit.

The Australian left the sport when he was demoted out of a racing seat by Racing Bulls in the second half of the 2024 season, although he didn't confirm his retirement from racing until September 2025.

In a blog post on the website of Enchante, his lifestyle brand, Ricciardo has now given an update on his life outside of racing. Well, outside of driving racing cars, at least – there's a good chunk of the post devoted to his time at the Indy 500 last month.

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With the history IndyCar race traditionally running on the same day as F1's Monaco Grand Prix, Ricciardo never had a chance to experience the event until his retirement.

That, at least, has now been put right thanks to a trip to Indianapolis with Conor Daly for this year's edition, with the Aussie delighted to stand on the grid and soak up the atmosphere.

Ricciardo: Indy 500 visit was a special experience

“Looking back on the weekend, it was such a cool experience," he wrote. "And let me remind you, I've been all over the world doing this my whole life. But something about Indy was really amazing. Every neighborhood I drove past had Indy 500 flags and checkered flags hanging off the front porch. It kinda feels like the local sporting team has made the final or something. Everyone just gets behind it ...

“Was cool to see it from that side. And being on the grid, seeing tears in the drivers' eyes after the prayer and the anthem, I was like dammit, let's f****** goooo!! Haha, you just have to experience it. The race is something more than just a race. Hard to put into words.

“Conor [Daly] and I have been friends for close to 15 years, going back to when we were both chasing the European racing dream from opposite sides of the world. So to be there, finally, as a fan watching him race in his hometown, was pretty special. It's kinda fun when the pressure isn't on you. Being a fan again brings me back to childhood feelings and memories. I like it.”

Daniel Ricciardo reveals 'new seat'

He also revealed that he's far more than just a figurehead for Enchante, explaining that he has a seat in the office – a far cry from his old lightweight race seat in an F1 car.

“Since stepping away from the driver's seat, I've enjoyed spending a lot more time in the Enchante seat. Yep, I have a seat at the office. Most would think that's a weird jump, going from a 200mph cockpit to a static office chair. But honestly?

"I'm loving the change of pace and getting to dive deeper into the brand we built out of a racing career, but is now outliving mine. It's also a way to stay close to motorsport, just from a very different angle.”

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F1 Daniel Ricciardo Indy 500