Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko has revealed that Daniel Ricciardo made a secret visit to the F1 paddock at the Australian Grand Prix.

And he confirmed that the fan favourite was “never considered” as an option in Red Bull’s latest driver swap involving Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda.

Helmut Marko: Daniel Ricciardo made ‘brief’ F1 visit at Australian Grand Prix

Ricciardo remains one of the most recognisable names of the modern F1 era having claimed eight wins in 257 starts between 2011 and 2024.

The Australian lost his place on the grid in brutal circumstances in the aftermath of last year’s Singapore Grand Prix, where he competed amid mounting uncertainty over his future.

Ricciardo was replaced by Lawson at the Racing Bulls junior outfit for the final six races of 2024, with the New Zealander promoted to Red Bull Racing after Sergio Perez vacated his seat at the end of the season.

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However, Lawson has been demoted after just two rounds of the F1 2025 campaign with Tsunoda becoming Max Verstappen’s third different team-mate in the space of four races at next week’s Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.

Ricciardo, who had coveted a return to his former Red Bull seat following his mid-2023 comeback, has said little publicly since losing his Racing Bulls seat last September with the 35-year-old recently breaking an extended social media silence to announce a new business venture.

He made a number of references to the end of his racing career, quipping that he has “taken my foot off the gas a bit lately” and referring to “my new outlook.”

Speaking to the Dutch edition of Motorsport.com, Marko confirmed that a Ricciardo comeback was never on the cards during the team’s recent driver reshuffle.

And he revealed that the Perth-born star paid a brief visit when F1 visited Melbourne for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix earlier this month, with Ricciardo leaving quietly on Thursday as the action started to ramp up at Albert Park.

Asked if Red Bull thought about bringing Ricciardo back, Marko said: “No, that was never considered.

“Daniel did his last race and has stayed away from Formula 1 since then. He was there briefly in Australia, but I think he was gone again on Thursday.

“This was never an issue.”

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As reported by PlanetF1.com, Ricciardo was there “in spirit” in Melbourne where the former Red Bull, Renault and McLaren driver had a stand in place selling his own range of merchandise.

Ahead of his Red Bull Racing debut, meanwhile, Lawson revealed that Ricciardo was the only driver to congratulate him when he was signed as Verstappen’s team-mate last December.

And he revealed that the pair were in close contact throughout the period covering last year’s Singapore GP as it became apparent that Lawson would be replacing Ricciardo for the last few rounds of 2024.

Lawson told GQ Australia: “I actually spoke to Daniel a lot when it was happening. I will always have so much respect for him.

“Throughout the whole ordeal, from when the rumours started to when they were confirmed, he never said a bad word about or towards me.

“He never made it about me and him, because at the end of the day it wasn’t our decision.

“It’s up to the team and what they decide to do. He was so good to me through all of it.

“Fast forward to December, when I got the Red Bull seat, and Daniel is still the only driver, past or present, to send me a message about it, congratulating me.

“It says a lot about him as a person.”

Read next: Explained: Why Red Bull swapped Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda