Daniel Ricciardo: F1 Career, Departure, and Comeback Chances

For a driver who once made winning look like pure joy, Daniel Ricciardo’s Formula 1 exit came down to an 18th-place finish at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix. Four days later, RB confirmed his immediate departure, closing a 14-season tenure with eight Grand Prix victories.

F1 Wins: 8 Grand Prix victories · Podiums: 32 podium finishes · Pole Positions: 3 · Seasons: 14 (2011–2024) · Best Championship Finish: 3rd (2014, 2016) · Nickname: “The Honey Badger”

Six teams, eight wins, and a shoey tradition: the résumé behind the exit headlines is stronger than most drivers ever produce.

What has happened to Daniel Ricciardo?

Ricciardo’s second act in Formula 1 began with a short-notice call-up in 2023 and ended with a seat change four days after the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix.

Departure from RB and early 2024

• Ricciardo returned to a race seat with AlphaTauri at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, replacing Nyck de Vries (Formula 1 (official series media))
• AlphaTauri became RB for 2024, and Ricciardo retained the seat (Formula 1 (official series media))
• The central objective of his 2024 campaign was to perform well enough to earn a return to Red Bull Racing and compete for wins (The Athletic (sports journalism))

That objective made his 2024 season an extended audition. The results never quite delivered the promotion case.

The pattern: Ricciardo needed a standout year to force Red Bull’s hand. He delivered flashes — including the fastest lap in Singapore — without the sustained form a front-running seat demands.

Final F1 race and aftermath

• Liam Lawson replaced him for the final six races of the 2024 season (Formula 1 (official series media))
• RB confirmed the departure on 26 September 2024, four days after the Singapore Grand Prix weekend (The Race (independent F1 coverage))
• Ricciardo’s last race ended with an 18th-place finish and the fastest lap (Formula 1 (official series media))

Ricciardo’s final act as a race driver was dramatic: a fastest lap from deep in the field, then a paddock farewell. The announcement four days later framed the exit as an immediate separation rather than a planned finale.

The implication: the decision ran on the team’s timeline, not his. Once Red Bull chose Lawson, the comeback story ended with a press release, not a podium.

The exit decision was a performance call by Red Bull, not a driver retirement.

What is Daniel Ricciardo doing now?

Life after a race seat has not meant life outside the paddock. Ricciardo is staying close to the sport while building what comes next.

Personal projects and sponsorships

• He is focusing on his personal brand, including Enchante, his wine label
• He remains active on social media and at F1-related events

His public presence has not dimmed: the shoey videos, the dry one-liners, and the paddock cameos all continue, just without a race number attached.

Media appearances and brand endorsements

• He remains in the F1 paddock as a reserve driver for Red Bull in 2025 (Formula 1 (official series media))
• He has indicated he is open to a return but is not actively pursuing a seat

There has been no official retirement announcement. Ricciardo has framed the break as a pause, and his Red Bull ties keep the door technically open.

What this means: Ricciardo is holding a position inside the Red Bull system while the market decides whether he gets another shot.

Why did Daniel Ricciardo leave F1?

The exit had two layers: the career moves that reshaped his trajectory, and the 2024 results that settled it.

Performance struggles at McLaren and subsequent move

• After a difficult 2022 at McLaren, Ricciardo moved to Red Bull as a reserve driver (Formula 1 (official series media))
• He won the 2021 Italian Grand Prix with McLaren, his final F1 victory
• His comeback was interrupted by a broken hand sustained in practice at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix (Formula 1 (official series media))
• Liam Lawson substituted for him for five Grands Prix while he recovered (Formula 1 (official series media))

The McLaren years cost him the momentum of his Red Bull prime. The reserve role at Red Bull was his way back in, and the hand injury delayed the restart.

Lack of competitive opportunities

• His 2024 form was described as inconsistent, weakening the case for promotion to Red Bull Racing (The Athletic (sports journalism))
• Red Bull’s senior management ultimately chose Lawson for the seat (Formula 1 (official series media))
• Ricciardo cited a desire for “time to think” and said he did not want to race without enjoyment (Formula 1 (official series media))

The racing was not the only problem. The sport’s calendar and Red Bull’s driver pipeline moved faster than his comeback could.

The trade-off: Ricciardo bet his comeback on a single path back to Red Bull. When that path closed, no competitive alternative was waiting.

The decision reflected Red Bull’s driver pipeline, not Ricciardo’s desire to stop racing.

Is Daniel Ricciardo coming back to racing?

A comeback is not the same thing as a return. Ricciardo has left the door open, but doors in F1 are controlled by contracts and team timelines.

Statements from Ricciardo about a potential return

• He has not ruled out a comeback
• He has indicated he is open to a return but is not actively pursuing a seat

The difference between “open to” and “pursuing” matters in F1. Drivers who want a seat badly enough usually say so publicly; Ricciardo is letting the sport come to him.

Available seats and future opportunities

• Speculation about a return to a full-time seat in 2026 or later continues (Formula 1 (official series media))
• Team bosses have expressed interest, but no firm offers have been made

With no 2025 seat available to him, a full-time return would most likely come through the 2026 contract cycle.

The catch: a comeback depends less on Ricciardo’s desire than on a team deciding that a proven eight-time Grand Prix winner is worth more than a younger, cheaper option.

The window for a return narrows with every race weekend he spends off the grid.

Is Max Verstappen still friends with Daniel Ricciardo?

The rumor mill never turned these two into enemies, and the record backs that up.

Public appearances and social media interactions

• Verstappen and Ricciardo remain close friends (The Athletic (sports journalism))
• They have been seen together since Ricciardo left the RB seat

Their friendship predates Verstappen’s championship run and has survived the competitive distance between them.

Shared history at Red Bull

• They were Red Bull teammates during the 2016–2018 seasons
• Verstappen has spoken warmly about Ricciardo since his departure (The Athletic (sports journalism))
• There is no reported rift between the two

In a paddock where relationships often bend to contract negotiations, this one has stayed steady.

Why this matters: the friendship keeps Ricciardo inside Red Bull’s orbit — the same orbit from which any future return would have to launch.

Should Ricciardo chase an F1 comeback?

The argument for a return is simple; the argument against it is about time and timing.

The trade-off: a comeback would trade certainty for a gamble. Red Bull has already shown which side of that trade it prefers.

Career timeline: from Silverstone debut to Singapore farewell

Seven moments trace the arc: a debut, a first win, a surprise move, and a quiet exit.

The pattern: every major move — Renault, McLaren, the Red Bull return — was a bet on a better car. The last bet did not pay off.

What’s confirmed vs. what’s still unclear

What’s confirmed

• Ricciardo has no full-time F1 drive for the 2025 season (Formula 1 (official series media))
• He is no longer racing in Formula 1 as of early 2025
• He remains a Red Bull reserve driver (Formula 1 (official series media))

What’s still unclear

• Whether he will return to F1 at any point in the future
• If he will pursue racing in another series, such as IndyCar or WEC
• His exact day-to-day role with Red Bull going forward
• Potential moves into team management or media roles

The line between the two lists is the real story: what is known about Ricciardo is mostly in the past tense; what is unknown is entirely in the future.

In their own words

Two voices frame the opposing pulls of Ricciardo’s departure: the driver who needed a pause, and the teammate who kept the friendship intact.

Ricciardo said he needed time to think and did not want to keep racing without enjoyment. He described himself as grateful for the career he had.

— Daniel Ricciardo, on stepping away from F1 (Formula 1 (official series media))

Verstappen has said the friendship stays intact, and he has spoken warmly about their time together at Red Bull.

— Max Verstappen, on Daniel Ricciardo (The Athletic (sports journalism))

The two voices capture the split reality of Ricciardo’s exit: a driver who stepped back on his own terms, and a paddock that still wants him around.

Ricciardo’s career was never a straight line: he left a winning Red Bull to bet on himself at Renault, rebuilt at McLaren, and returned to the Red Bull family for one last shot at the front. That shot ended in Singapore. For Ricciardo, the choice ahead is clear: stay in the reserve role, keep the brand alive, and wait for a 2026 door to open — or walk away on his own terms, with the shoey as the final word.

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