Daniel Ricciardo backed for return to racing with General Motors link

A motorsports analyst has suggested that Daniel Ricciardo should be in the frame for a return to racing in the near future.

Ricciardo has been out of racing since being cut by Racing Bulls in September, but a Supercars pundit has suggested that he should be lined up for a seat in the series.

He was replaced by Liam Lawson, who then went on to be given a promotion to the main Red Bull team - where Ricciardo drove between 2014-2018 - for 2025, but the New Zealander has since been demoted once more.

Ricciardo has regularly been linked with a return to F1, namely through the new Cadillac team that are entering the sport in 2026, but the Australian has admitted he's 'done' with the series - despite not officially announcing his retirement.

However, that has not stopped the 35-year-old being linked with a move to other racing series around the world, with NASCAR and the Supercars Championship seemingly looking like the most likely destinations.

Now, five-time Supercars Championship champion Mark Skaife has told " target="_blank">Speedcafe that General Motors (GM) should be looking to sign a real racing superstar to bolster their ranks.

"I think overall, the policy around having superstar drivers, I can’t emphasise enough how essential it is," he said. "It’s just fact.

"Where would Red Bull be without Verstappen? They’d be nowhere. To me, GM finding a, or maybe a couple, of real stars is essential. I thought when I read about GM trying to get Cam Waters, that made a lot of sense to me.

"But I’d be looking at some other scenarios. I’d be picking the phone up to someone like a Dan Ricciardo or a Matt Campbell. I’d be looking outside our current sphere to try and procure an absolute superstar."

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Did Daniel Ricciardo retire?

Strictly speaking, Ricciardo has not retired from F1, but it looks unlikely that he would seek out a return to the sport.

The likes of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez - who were also both sacked from the sport in 2024 - have been vocal about wanting to return to the grid, and have been actively holding talks with teams.

Ricciardo, meanwhile, has been deathly silent on his future aspirations, and has been using social media mainly to promote his various business, as well as poking fun at former team-mate Max Verstappen.

It means we have likely seen the end of Ricciardo in F1, but he will go down as one of the most successful drivers not to have won a world championship, having claimed eight race victories and 32 podiums between 2011-2024.

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