Drivers react: Could former F1 star Daniel Ricciardo dominate a V8 Supercars grid?

Daniel Ricciardo became a household name for his exploits in F1, the biggest stage in motorsport, but the giants of Australian Supercars insist he could be just as successful in a V8.

Drivers react: Could Daniel Ricciardo be a Supercars sucess?

Daniel Ricciardo became a household name for his exploits in F1, the biggest stage in motorsport, but the giants of Australian Supercars believe he could be just as successful in a V8.

Speculation is flying around about where the 34-year-old superstar will land next year but is it really impossible to imagine him flying around Mount Panorama in a Red Bull Chevrolet Camaro ZL1?

The consensus among the current crop of drivers is that it’s about as likely as seeing Shane van Gisbergen lining up alongside Max Verstappen at the Australian Grand Prix.

But while it’s widely agreed by the big players of Supercars that if Ricciardo put his laser focus on V8s he would quickly become a top driver.

Here’s what the top names in Australian motorsports had to say.

SHANE VAN GISBERGEN

“I think a driver like (Ricciardo) would be a success in anything that he tries,” van Gisbergen said.

“I don’t know what he’s doing next or what he wants to do. But I think if he got back in F1, he’d be good.

“He’s the best of the best and whatever he chooses to do, he’d probably succeed at.”

BROC FEENEY

“I’m sure he’d be fine. He’s an awesome guy, and an awesome driver,” Feeney said.

“I think there’s no doubt that with a bit of time he’d be able to get on top of it.

“But I don’t know if I see that happening, especially for a championship. Maybe a one-off in the future, but I think he’s probably trying to get back onto the F1 grid.”

Daniel Ricciardo of Australia. Picture: Getty Images via AFP

CHAZ MOSTERT

“He’s got the talent to drive anything and be a success, but I highly doubt we’ll ever see Daniel Ricciardo in Supercars,” Mostert said.

“He’s obviously a global sensation and a global talent but I think if he has the choice between F1 and Supercars I’m sure he’d be picking Formula 1.”

NICK PERCAT

“I’m sure he would be, he’s obviously an exceptional driver,” Percat said.

“But then on the flip side he’s never driven a tin-top, he’s never driven a car without big aero and all that.

“So I think when he drove Rick Kelly’s Nissan many, many years ago he thought it was a bit too left field for him, so I think he’s pretty happy with his aero and his wings.”

JACK LE BROCQ

“It’s hard to say because open wheels and everything like that is very different,” Le Brocq said.

“Obviously he’s very talented at driving race cars so I suppose given the time to drive these cars and understand what they’re all about I’m sure he’d do a really good job.

“It would be interesting to see, hopefully one day we can see him in a race. You never know, he might surprise us and go out and there and put it on pole.”

Ricciardo pictured in 2009

TIM SLADE

“Like any category you’ve got to be with the right team to make it happen,” Slade said.

“I’m sure if he jumped in with Red Bull, which would make sense, that he’d soon work it out.

“They’re proven they have the history in getting results and everything else so I think the learning curve would be a lot easier there than in another team that’s not as well resourced.

SCOTT PYE

“Eventually it would be a success, he’s obviously a great driver but I think he’d turn up and be a couple of seconds off the pace to start with and then would of course get there, he’s an unbelievable driver,” Pye said.

“But it’s such a different beast, it’s not anything like a Formula 1 car and I think it goes the same if we were to jump in an F1 car for a weekend, I think we’d struggle and that’s not saying anything about the driver.”

JAMES GOLDING

“I think eventually he would succeed, but it’s not like he’d win his first race,” Golding said.

Originally published as Drivers react: Could former F1 star Daniel Ricciardo dominate a V8 Supercars grid?