Cheeky detail in Daniel Ricciardo photo amid speculation over F1 future
Daniel Ricciardo’s future is up in the air and a cheeky social media post has put rumours to bed ahead of F1’s return this weekend.
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F1 returns this weekend for the first time without Daniel Ricciardo in 2024, but there is still speculation about his future in the sport.
It’s been nearly a month since Ricciardo was unceremoniously sacked by Red Bull following an emotional farewell race at the Singapore Grand Prix.
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Liam Lawson will take his place at VCARB for the last six races of the reason, with the 22-year-old Kiwi a strong chance to stay in that seat next year.
Ricciardo has been a class act in his departure from the sport. A photo of the 35-year-old swapping helmets with fellow Australian Oscar Piastri was a touching changing of the guard moment.
He has been offered an ambassadorial role with Red Bull amid speculation his exit could threaten his old team’s $35 million title sponsorship with Visa and CashApp.
It appears more than likely Ricciardo will sail off into the sunset and close the door on his F1 career, but a photo caught the eye of F1 fans.
Former motorcross rider Adam Cianciarulo uploaded a photo to Instagram of him and Ricciardo.
In the photo, Ricciardo is a wearing a cap that reads: “I’m retired. Having a good time is my job.”
Eagled eyed F1 fans couldn’t help but notice Ricciardo’s choice of hat, which has been interpreted as the Aussie just having a cheeky joke.
It’s unclear if Ricciardo will attend the US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, which gets underway on Monday at 6am AEDT.
The venue was one of Ricciardo’s favourite F1 circuits, with the Aussie famously riding into pit lane on a horse and sporting plenty of handlebar moustaches there over the years.
Red Bull has offered Ricciardo an ambassadorial role, but it remains to be seen if the 35-year-old will accept the olive branch.
“Daniel is just a brilliant character, a brilliant human being,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said after Ricciardo’s departure.
“He lights up a room when he walks into it, he’s got that infectious smile. I hope he stays around the sport.
“We’ve made it very clear that we want him to remain in an ambassadorial capacity with the team. Of course, one never really knows. If Liam doesn’t get the job done, if Checo (Sergio Perez) doesn’t get the job done … We know what Daniel’s capability is.”
Ricciardo has been linked with moves to NASCAR and even Australia’s Supercars category.
Supercars boss Shane Howard said ahead of the Bathurst 1000: “I think everyone would welcome Daniel with open arms, absolutely.
“Would we like to see Daniel Ricciardo in a Supercar? One hundred per cent.
“Just imagine if he could be in one of our cars and race in a new street race in Perth, that would be something special, wouldn’t it?
“It would be absolutely massive. He is such an incredible driver and such an incredible personality and people just absolutely love him.
“Imagine him racing at Bathurst, wow. That would be very cool indeed.”
Seven-time F1 race winner Juan Pablo Montoya believes Ricciardo would thrive as a team ambassador if he goes down that path.
“So the question is, does he enjoy driving enough, or does he like the social side of becoming a Red Bull ambassador?” Montoya told Gambling Zone.
“Come to races and do events and things and enjoy that without the pressure of driving. Or maybe he just walks away and says thank you to everybody, because if for him, driving is enough and what it is really all about for him he could find a seat in anything.
“There’s life after F1 if you want it. The best example is Mick Schumacher. Mick had F1 trouble big time and it didn’t look like he would ever have another job. Now he’s an ambassador for Mercedes and he’s racing in the World Endurance Championship for Alpine.
“Danny could do that. He has such a big personality, and he’s got a huge following and he is very popular.
“If you think about me, everybody thinks I’m an asshole. If you think of Daniel, oh, he’s such a lovely guy. Maybe I need to do some more Instagram!”
Originally published as Cheeky detail in Daniel Ricciardo photo amid speculation over F1 future
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