Axed F1 star Daniel Ricciardo announces new driving opportunities

Photo: © IMAGO

Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo announces new driving opportunities

Daniel Ricciardo has his own driver academy

By Sam Cook.

Saturday 20 December 2025 22:59

Daniel Ricciardo's own racing series has announced new opportunities for young racers trying to work their way up to F1.

Ricciardo left F1 back in September 2024, being axed by Racing Bulls after 13 years in the series in which he became a fan favourite and won eight grands prix.

Ricciardo is now working as a global ambassador for Ford having announced his retirement from racing earlier this year, and he's also involved in a number of projects, including the Daniel Ricciardo Series (DRS).

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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.

"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