As former Red Bull drivers with 14 seasons in Formula 1 each and 14 Grand Prix wins between them, Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Pérez have the perfect résumé to win them a seat in Cadillac for the upcoming 2026 season. But despite such extensive experience, there are a lot of factors stopping Drive to Survive‘s fan-favorite star from returning to the tracks after his 2024 exit.
On 22 September 2024, to the shock and dismay of fans all around the world, Daniel Ricciardo announced his retirement from Formula 1 with only 6 races to go for the season. While the Aussie bowed out in grace, his return seems to be shrouded in a muddy haze as he refuses to take advantage of his popularity and fame among the current generation of F1 fans and stage a comeback.
Daniel Ricciardo comments on his Formula 1 future
After serving as the reserve driver for Red Bull for half a season and half of 2024 driving for the junior Red Bull team, Visa Cash App RB dropped Daniel Ricciardo after a difficult couple of seasons. The Aussie’s last Grand Prix win was in Monza in 2021, which also secured McLaren’s first F1 win in 12 years (via Formula1).
However, for all of Ricciardo’s surprising moments of strength and valiant victories, the last 3 years have not been kind to the Aussie. After his retirement last September, when asked by a fan about his potential comeback, Ricciardo simply said, “Nah, I’m done.”
But regardless of Daniel Ricciardo’s wishes, the fans still want to see the return of the Honey Badger to the F1 tracks. As Cadillac prepares for its momentous debut as the 11th Formula 1 team in 2026, fans all around the world are also dialing up their expectations regarding the Aussie and the possibility of once again hearing this iconic message over the radio: “For anyone who thought I had left, I never left. Just moved aside for a while.”
Daniel Ricciardo has a phobia of oval racing
Despite being nicknamed after one of the fiercest creatures in the animal kingdom for his aggressive and fierce racing technique on the tracks, the Honey Badger still has some reservations about driving on an oval track. Daniel Ricciardo, for all his strengths and flaws, has no plans of ever getting into IndyCar in the future.
After leaving McLaren in 2022, Ricciardo’s F1 career was still murky, with no confirmation about whether he still had a seat in 2023. However, when asked about giving IndyCar a shot, Ricciardo was anything but compliant, saying: “F**k that. Ovals scare me. Ten years ago, I would have said yes. I’m OK to admit that I’m not OK with ovals.” (via Autosport)
He reiterated the same sentiments in 2024, 2 days before being dropped by the junior Red Bull Formula 1 team (via PlanetF1):
IndyCar still scares me! I mean, I’ve thought about it because I also thought about it a couple of years ago when I knew that I wasn’t going to start the ’23 season. I don’t know. I know I’m still a competitor. I know I still have a lot of fire in me. Maybe that itch is scratched doing something else, I don’t know. We’ll see.
With no F1 future in sight and after refusing to entertain the possibility of IndyCar and NASCAR, Daniel Ricciardo’s moment to shine on 4 wheels once more remains very much in doubt.
Drive to Survive Season 7 is currently streaming on Netflix.
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