Daniel Ricciardo returns to screens alongside X Games star Axell Hodges

Since Daniel Ricciardo left Formula 1 in September of last year, he’s been enjoying the finer things that life has to offer. From building his Enchanté brand to consuming the quiet of the outback when he’s not in California, the Australian driver is getting some well-earned rest outside of a race car. But adrenaline is addictive, and it didn’t take long for the eight-time race winner to return to our screens.

Ricciardo has joined X Games medallist and freestyle motocross icon Axell Hodges in his facility known as the Slayground to learn how to ride. And it’s no surprise that he took to it like a duck to water. 

Under the guidance of Hodges, the former driver took the jumps of the Slayground in his stride, with even the rider himself impressed by his natural ability before taking to the jumps himself. 

This comes directly after speculation surrounding the former Red Bull driver and his potential return to F1 – not as a driver, but as part of the sport’s new partnership with PepsiCo. The beverage giant recently announced that Gatorade is the official sports drink partner and the sponsor of sprint races, while Sting Energy becomes the official energy drink and Doritos becomes the official savoury snack partner. 

In a promotional video shared by F1, fans have spotted what could be Daniel Ricciardo in a close-up.

“That’s a high performance athlete right there,” one fan commented, referencing Ricciardo’s famous response to him sweating following the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix. “That was 100% Danny Ric,” another added.

Fans will be happy to see the Australian return after a rather unceremonious exit last year after a string of poor performance with Red Bull’s sister team, VCARB. At the time, former F1 driver and commentator Martin Brundle commented on the “confusing” moment.

“It was Daniel’s last race in F1 for a while and perhaps forever. It was a rather half-hearted and confusing exit from the team perspective.

“The fans rewarded him with driver of the day as a farewell present and that leaves him with a tally of 257 starts, eight wins, three poles and 32 podiums. And an awful lot of smiles and happy fans.

“Well done and good luck to him whatever happens next, he’s a quality guy and world-class driver.”

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko shared his thoughts in a Speedweek column following the driver’s exit.

“He was given a second chance that no one else would have given him,” he wrote. “And that was under the premise that a return to Red Bull Racing was possible if he performed well enough.

“The Racing Bulls team was always intended as a stopover. But the necessary performance only came twice – once with a fourth place in the sprint in Miami this year [2024] and last year in Mexico.

“But, otherwise, the speed was not there, and the consistency was not there either. The performance that would have justified a promotion to Red Bull Racing was missing. And that was the whole point of the entire thing.”