There aren’t many drivers who can make a farewell tour feel like a party, but Daniel Ricciardo managed it — mostly because he never actually announced one. In September 2025, RACER (motorsport outlet) confirmed what his final start at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix had hinted: the racing days were over, and the Ford Racing ambassador era had begun. Here’s where Ricciardo stands now, what retirement looks like for him, and how the numbers around his career and reported net worth actually add up.
Age: 36 (born 1 July 1989) ·
Nationality: Australian ·
F1 Career Span: 2011–2024 ·
Grand Prix Wins: 8 ·
Nickname: The Honey Badger ·
Current Status: Retired from racing (confirmed Sept 2025)
Quick snapshot
- Left F1 after the 2024 season, dropped by Racing Bulls after Singapore (7NEWS Australia (network news))
- Confirmed in September 2025 that his racing days were behind him (RACER (motorsport outlet))
- Finished his F1 career with eight Grand Prix wins (Speedcafe (motorsport news))
- His exact 2026 net worth: no official figure exists, and estimates are speculative
- His relationship status: kept private, with no public confirmation in 2025
- Whether any future racing role appears: he has repeatedly said the racing days are behind him
- June 2025: the Daniel Ricciardo Series ran at Buckmore Park in the UK (GPFans (F1 news site))
- 1 July 2025: he spent his 36th birthday at Wimbledon with his parents (GPFans (F1 news site))
- 2025: a summer of karting, brand work and family time (GPFans (F1 news site))
- Expands lifestyle ventures: the Enchanté clothing line and a wine range (Sports Mole (sports news))
- Fills the calendar with hiking, including a reported trip to Alaska (RacingNews365 (F1 news site))
- Keeps the visible roles: Ford ambassador, karting founder, brand partner (Sports Mole (sports news))
Seven rows trace the whole arc: a Perth kid, a nickname that stuck, a quiet exit, and a retirement that took a year to say out loud.
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Full name | Daniel Joseph Ricciardo |
| Date of birth | 1 July 1989 (GPFans (F1 news site)) |
| Place of birth | Perth, Australia |
| F1 teams | HRT, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Renault, McLaren, Racing Bulls (VCARB) |
| Nickname | The Honey Badger |
| F1 career span | 2011–2024 |
| Last F1 race | 2024 Singapore Grand Prix |
What has happened to Daniel Ricciardo?
Ricciardo’s exit was quieter than his career. The seat at Racing Bulls ended after the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, and the months that followed looked less like a comeback trail than a slow exhale.
Why did Daniel Ricciardo leave F1?
- The trigger was a driver change at Racing Bulls at the end of 2024 — a decision that ended a 14-season F1 run.
- He didn’t chase another seat; by September 2025 he was describing the racing chapter as closed.
- The team never published a full internal explanation, so the “why” is a seat change plus a quiet acceptance, not a dramatic falling out.
Losing the Racing Bulls seat cost Ricciardo his Sunday routine, but it also ended the will-he-won’t-he loop that followed him after McLaren. The result is a slower, self-directed year — and he sounds relieved about that.
What this means: Ricciardo didn’t leave F1 because he stopped loving driving. He left because the seat was gone, and the life he built afterward suggests he was done with the travel, not the cars. For the full recap of the exit and its aftermath, see Daniel Ricciardo: F1 Exit, Net Worth, and New Life.
What is Ricciardo doing now?
Ricciardo has described the year after F1 as a period of self-exploration (Speedcafe (motorsport news)). In practice, that has meant padel games with Oscar Piastri, Scotty James and George Russell (7NEWS Australia), long hiking stretches that included a reported trip to Alaska (RacingNews365 (F1 news site)), and a stated shift in priorities toward family, friends and being a better listener (RacingNews365 (F1 news site)).
The most structured project is the Daniel Ricciardo Series, which uses DRS Ricciardo Kart equipment (Speedcafe (motorsport news)). Something similar is happening with his public image: fewer fireproof overalls, more casual brand appearances.
Is Daniel Ricciardo single now?
- He hasn’t publicly confirmed a relationship in 2025.
- His public appearances featured his parents, padel partners and hiking companions — not a partner.
- Any specific claim about his dating life right now is speculation.
Ricciardo’s post-F1 identity is no longer tied to a race seat. He decides the calendar, the pace and the guest list — which is exactly the freedom a paddock career never gave him.
What this means: retirement hasn’t made Ricciardo invisible. It has moved him from Sunday paddocks to a self-directed rotation of projects, and he clearly prefers it that way.
What is Daniel Ricciardo’s net worth in 2026?
There is no official 2026 net worth. The $50 million figure that keeps circulating is an estimate built on racing income, not published accounts — and it should be treated that way. For a fuller breakdown, see Daniel Ricciardo: Career, Retirement, Net Worth & 2025 Update.
What is Daniel Ricciardo’s annual salary?
- Reported peak: more than $10 million per year at Red Bull.
- His final Racing Bulls salary was never disclosed.
- Current driver salary lists — including the lowest-paid driver and Lando Norris’ deal — shift every season; Ricciardo is no longer on any of them.
Who is the lowest-paid F1 driver?
No reliable public data exists for the lowest-paid driver salary in 2026. Salary figures are not officially disclosed.
What is Lando Norris’ salary?
Lando Norris’ salary for the 2026 season has not been publicly confirmed; estimates vary widely and are speculative.
Any article quoting a precise 2026 Ricciardo net worth is doing math, not journalism. The only verified numbers are the ones on track: 8 wins, 14 seasons, one very memorable shoey.
The pattern: Ricciardo’s wealth was built in a short, high-paid window. That makes him comfortably off by any normal standard, and a long way from the sport’s billionaire class.
Is Max Verstappen still friends with Daniel Ricciardo?
Yes — or at least, there’s no evidence of anything else. Verstappen and Ricciardo were Red Bull teammates from 2016 to 2018, and the friendship never became a feud. In 2025, Ricciardo’s public life looked more like a holiday photo album than a paddock diary.
Who is Lando Norris’ best friend?
- Norris and Ricciardo were McLaren teammates in 2021–2022.
- Norris hasn’t publicly named a best friend in 2025.
- “Best friend” is fan framing — the rest is speculation.
What this means: the Verstappen friendship survived Ricciardo’s exit, and the Norris friendship was always more of a teammate bond than a headline — which is fine.
Does Daniel Ricciardo come from a wealthy family?
Ricciardo didn’t come from extreme wealth. His parents, Joe and Grace, supported his karting years — they were at Wimbledon with him for his 36th birthday — but there was no family fortune funding the climb.
Who has the richest parent in F1?
- No reliable public data exists on drivers’ parental wealth.
- Ricciardo’s own story is the opposite of a trust-fund arrival: talent, timing and a Honey Badger attitude.
Why this matters: Ricciardo’s net worth is his own, earned in a short F1 window. That makes the eight-figure estimate more believable, not less.
Career timeline: from HRT to the Honey Badger
Timeline compiled from Ricciardo’s public F1 record and the reporting cited above.
- — Born in Perth, Australia. (GPFans)
- — F1 debut with HRT. (Speedcafe)
- — First Grand Prix win with Red Bull at Canada. (Speedcafe)
- — Joined McLaren. (Speedcafe)
- — Final season at McLaren. (Speedcafe)
- — Red Bull reserve, then a Racing Bulls race seat. (Speedcafe)
- — Final F1 start at the Singapore Grand Prix. (7NEWS Australia)
- — Own karting series debuts at Buckmore Park. (GPFans)
- — Confirms retirement from competitive racing. (RACER)
The rhythm is rare: a slow rise, a sharp peak, and an exit that arrived before the decline got sad.
What’s confirmed and what’s still a guess
Confirmed facts
- Retired after the 2024 season (confirmed September 2025).
- Eight career Grand Prix wins.
- Ford ambassador, karting founder, clothing and wine ventures active in 2025.
- Still close to his Red Bull-era friendships.
What’s unclear
- Exact 2026 net worth.
- Relationship status.
- Any future return to racing in any form.
- Whether he ever takes a non-driving role inside F1, such as media or team management.
The balance reads honest: the narrative around Ricciardo is confirmed, while the money math and the personal life remain someone else’s spreadsheet.
Ricciardo, in his own words
“My racing days are behind me.”
— Daniel Ricciardo, RACER (motorsport outlet), September 2025
Retirement at 35 sounded strange.
— Daniel Ricciardo, via 7NEWS Australia (network news)
Life in the slow lane.
— Daniel Ricciardo on post-F1 life, via Sports Mole (sports news)
The through-line: none of these quotes sound like a man mourning a career. They sound like someone who finally controls the calendar.
Where this leaves Ricciardo
Ricciardo’s F1 story ended with a quiet seat change at Racing Bulls, and the year that followed suggests he has made peace with that. For fans holding out hope, the choice is simple: follow Ricciardo into his post-racing projects, or rewind the highlight reels — because the Honey Badger isn’t coming back to a grid near you.
Frequently asked questions
How many F1 wins does Daniel Ricciardo have?
Eight Grand Prix wins, with his first coming at the 2014 Canadian Grand Prix for Red Bull.
Is Daniel Ricciardo returning to F1?
No. He told RACER his racing days are behind him and spent 2025 outside the paddock.
What was Daniel Ricciardo’s last F1 race?
The 2024 Singapore Grand Prix with Racing Bulls.
How old is Daniel Ricciardo?
He was born on 1 July 1989 and turned 36 in July 2025.
What is the ‘shoey’ tradition Daniel Ricciardo started?
A shoey is his signature celebration — drinking champagne from a racing boot after a strong result. It became a Ricciardo trademark during his Red Bull years.
What teams did Daniel Ricciardo drive for in F1?
HRT, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Renault, McLaren and Racing Bulls (VCARB).
Oliver Jack Carter Cooper is a staff writer for EveningLedger.uk, covering UK news, politics, business and culture. He works under Editor-in-Chief Edward Langley and Managing Editor Charlotte Reeves, following the newsroom standards for sourcing, verification and fact-checking set out in our editorial policies.