F1 2025: Red Bull chief delivers Daniel Ricciardo return verdict amid driver controversy

christian horner, daniel ricciardo, helmut marko, red bull, rb, graphic — Photo: © IMAGO

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Red Bull chief offers Daniel Ricciardo return verdict

A Red Bull boss has confirmed the presence of Daniel Ricciardo in the F1 paddock

By Sheona Mountford.

Sunday 30 March 2025 22:00

Daniel Ricciardo was never considered for a return to Red Bull to replace Liam Lawson, Helmut Marko has revealed.

Red Bull recently took the brutal decision to replace Lawson after just two races of the 2025 season, with Yuki Tsunoda promoted from Racing Bulls to take his place.

Daniel Ricciardo is a free agent following his axe from the Red Bull driver pool last year, but when asked by the Dutch version of Motorsport.com if the team considered bringing him back following Lawson's axe, Marko said it was never on the cards.

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"No, that was never considered. Daniel has driven his last race and has stayed away from Formula 1 since then. He was there briefly in Australia, but I think he was gone again on Thursday. This was never a topic,” he said.

Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 career over

The 35-year-old already suggested himself that he was done with the sport, after a fan video emerged from his Enchante pop-up event in New York at the end of last year.

Following the announcement that Cadillac would be joining the F1 grid in 2026, it opened up speculation that Ricciardo could make a return to the sport with the 11th team.

However, when this question was posed to Ricciardo by a fan he replied with a simple ‘Nah, I’m done’, which suggests we may not see the eight-time grand prix winner back on track competing in a F1 car.