Daniel Ricciardo Retirement: Net Worth, Friendships & Stats

Few drivers have made a racing boot more famous than the driver inside it, but Daniel Ricciardo turned the “shoey” into a Formula 1 institution. On 5 September 2025, the Australian confirmed that his competitive racing career is over — and that his next act is a global ambassadorship with Ford Racing, Reuters (international news agency) reports. This is the story of how an eight-time Grand Prix winner became one of F1’s most beloved figures, and what his retirement actually means.

Grand Prix wins: 8 ·
Podiums: 32 ·
Pole positions: 3 ·
Fastest laps: 17 ·
F1 seasons: 12 ·
Teams raced for: 6

Nine rows capture the essentials, and one pattern jumps out: the numbers describe a very good driver, while the fame describes a cultural event.

What has happened to Daniel Ricciardo?

Departure from Racing Bulls in 2024

• His final Formula 1 start came at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix.
• Racing Bulls replaced him with Liam Lawson for the rest of the season, and Ricciardo ended 2024 14th in the championship with just three top-ten finishes to his name (Encyclopaedia Britannica (reference publisher)).

It was a quiet ending for a driver who had spent a decade making noise. Ricciardo later said he was grateful the team made the decision for him — a rare note of grace after a demotion.

Announcement of retirement in 2025

• On 5 September 2025, Ricciardo confirmed his competitive racing career is over (Reuters (international news agency)).
• The confirmation came as he took on a new role: Global Ford Racing Ambassador.
• He said his racing days were behind him but that his love for anything with wheels remains strong.

This was a bigger announcement than an F1 farewell. By September 2025, Ricciardo had already been out of Formula 1 for nearly a year — this was him closing the door on competitive racing in any series, anywhere.

Current activities and post-F1 plans

• Ricciardo has launched his own brand, Enchante.
• He has been named the public face of Ford Racing’s motorsport activities.

His calendar now looks like the logical next chapter for F1’s most marketable retiree: brand work, partnerships, and the occasional perfectly timed joke.

The implication: Ricciardo didn’t get to write his final F1 chapter — Racing Bulls did. The 2025 retirement, by contrast, is entirely his own, and the Ford deal turns what could have been a sad exit into a restart.

The pattern: forced exit, chosen retirement — two different chapters that together define his legacy.

Is Daniel Ricciardo coming back to racing?

Ricciardo’s statements about returning

• “My racing days are behind me” — Ricciardo’s own summary of his future.
• He confirmed in September 2025 that the decision applies to all competitive racing, not just F1.
• He added that his love for anything with wheels is still strong.

That last line matters. It is not a promise to return to a grid; it is a man who loves cars making clear the passion hasn’t gone anywhere.

Potential opportunities in other racing series

• Supercars, endurance racing and historic events are the usual landing spots for retired F1 drivers.
• Ricciardo has committed to none of them as of September 2025.
• His Ford role keeps him in meaningful motorsport work without a race seat.

In short: the competitive chapter closed on 5 September 2025. The car-lover chapter did not.

The implication: anyone waiting for a late-career comeback should stop holding their breath. What arrives next will be a brand, not a race program.

Is Max Verstappen still friends with Daniel Ricciardo?

History of their friendship at Red Bull

• Verstappen and Ricciardo were Red Bull teammates from 2016 until Ricciardo left for Renault in 2019.
• Ricciardo’s finest title-year finish — third in 2016 — came alongside Verstappen.
• Ricciardo returned to the Red Bull family in 2023 as a reserve driver.

Teammate friendships in F1 usually have a shelf life. This one outlasted Ricciardo’s move to Renault, his McLaren years, and his return to the Red Bull fold.

Recent public interactions

• Verstappen described Ricciardo as “a great guy and a great driver” after the Racing Bulls exit.
• The two have continued to appear together at events and in social media posts.
• Their friendship is one of the few driver pairings from that era that stayed publicly intact.

The pattern: in a sport where teammate relationships usually fray under team orders and contract fights, this one held. Verstappen’s public support after Ricciardo’s exit was the kind of loyalty that is rarer than a podium.

What is Daniel Ricciardo’s net worth?

Estimated net worth

• Media estimates typically place his net worth around $20 million.
• His F1 contracts were repeatedly reported as among the highest on the grid.
• Because F1 salaries are private, the figure is an estimate, not a disclosure.

The honest answer is that no one outside Ricciardo’s inner circle knows the real number. What is visible is the trajectory: a decade of top-tier salaries, endorsement income, and a brand that keeps generating attention on its own.

Sources of income

• Ten years of top-tier F1 salaries with Red Bull, Renault and McLaren.
• Endorsement partnerships including Oakley and Hard Rock Cafe.
• His own brand, Enchante.
• A new Global Ford Racing Ambassador deal that ties his commercial future to Ford’s motorsport program, ESPN Australia (sports broadcaster) reports.

For a fuller breakdown of Ricciardo’s earnings and contracts, see Daniel Ricciardo: Career, Net Worth, and Why He Left F1.

The trade-off: Ricciardo never won a title, but he made himself impossible to remove from F1’s marketing mix. The Ford deal is the receipt.

How many F1 wins does Daniel Ricciardo have?

List of all 8 Grand Prix wins

• Eight wins in total.
• First win: 2014 Canadian Grand Prix.
• Last win: 2021 Italian Grand Prix.
• Seven with Red Bull, one with McLaren.

The eight wins are not evenly spread. Seven arrived in the Red Bull years, and the eighth — at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix — was the last win of his career.

Career highlights and notable performances

• 32 podium finishes (RACER (motorsport publication))
• 257 Grand Prix starts (Reuters (international news agency))
• Third in the drivers’ championship in 2014 and 2016 (Encyclopaedia Britannica (reference publisher))
• 3 pole positions and 17 fastest laps

Look at the shape of the record and a pattern appears: Ricciardo peaked early, leveled off, and then built a second career out of being F1’s most watchable character.

The pattern: his numbers say “very good,” not “generational.” His cultural footprint says something else — eight wins, 32 podiums, and a shoey that outlived them both.

The implication: Ricciardo’s driving numbers are respectable, but his personality turned them into a lasting brand that outran his results.

Daniel Ricciardo’s career timeline

• 2011-2013: Debuts in F1 with HRT and Toro Rosso.
• 2014-2018: Red Bull Racing — seven wins and two third-place championship finishes.
• 2019-2020: Renault F1 Team.
• 2021-2022: McLaren — wins the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.
• 2023: Returns to Red Bull as reserve driver.
• 2024: Racing Bulls — final F1 start at the Singapore Grand Prix.
• 2025: Confirms retirement from competitive racing; named Global Ford Racing Ambassador.

Reading the timeline top to bottom, the arc is clear: a fast rise, a steady middle, a messy exit — then a pivot that may define Ricciardo as much as the racing did.

What’s confirmed, what’s still unclear

The confirmed list is long; the unclear list is short. That is the signature of a career that ended loudly rather than quietly.

Daniel Ricciardo, in his own words

“My racing days are behind me.”

Daniel Ricciardo, confirming his retirement — RACER (motorsport publication)

“I’m grateful they made the decision for me.”

Daniel Ricciardo, reflecting on his departure from Racing Bulls in 2024

“He’s a great guy and a great driver.”

Max Verstappen, on Daniel Ricciardo

Taken together, the quotes capture the arc: a driver who lost his seat with grace, announced his end with humor, and kept his closest friendship intact.

Ricciardo’s story is a reminder that a racing career and a racing legacy are not the same thing. The 257 starts, eight wins and 32 podiums gave him the stage; the shoey gave him the staying power. For Formula 1, losing a personality of his size is a real commercial loss — and for Ricciardo, the Ford ambassador role is a clear-sighted bet that his brand will outlast his driving. For fans, the door to one more race has closed. The door to watching Daniel Ricciardo have fun on four wheels never will.

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