As the 2025 F1 season kicks off with the Australian Grand Prix this weekend, many will be expecting to see Daniel Ricciardo in attendance.
The Aussie is enjoying his time away from motorsport after his abrupt exit from F1 in 2024. Ricciardo was sacked by Racing Bulls after the Singapore Grand Prix and was replaced by Liam Lawson.
The 35-year-old returned to F1 midway through 2023 after his departure from McLaren the year prior. He replaced the struggling Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri – now Racing Bulls – for the remainder of the season.
Ricciardo broke his wrist at Zandvoort and was forced to miss five races. After Lawson impressed in his place, the Aussie took back his seat and later signed for the 2024 season alongside Yuki Tsunoda.
As Sergio Perez faced pressure to keep his seat, Ricciardo looked to put himself in contention for the second seat at Red Bull – he won seven races with the team from 2014 to 2018. However, the Aussie was largely outperformed by Tsunoda last year.
After scoring 12 points from the first 18 races, Singapore was the final straw. Racing Bulls cut ties with Ricciardo which brought an end to his F1 career.
Daniel Ricciardo’s manager says he will not attend the Australian Grand Prix
After his exit from F1, many have wondered where the 35-year-old’s next adventure will be. Ricciardo has previously expressed his love for NASCAR, with a move there being certain to generate huge interest and commercial value.
With his future in motorsport currently uncertain, many will be hoping to see Ricciardo return to the F1 paddock at the Australian Grand Prix.
READ MORE: Daniel Ricciardo’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
But the Aussie has not been seen there this week. Photographer Kym Illman spotted Blake Friend – Ricciardo’s manager – in the paddock and he gave a straightforward answer when asked if the eight-time Grand Prix winner would be at Albert Park this weekend.
“I was surprised to see this man in the paddock. This is Blake Friend, Daniel Ricciardo’s manager,” said Illman via his YouTube channel.
“And I did actually ask him whether we’re likely to see him at the track. He took a second or so to respond and said: ‘No.’
“So there you have it, don’t expect to see Daniel Ricciardo this weekend. He is in Melbourne though, he has a pop-up shop for his Enchante merchandise in the heart of Melbourne and I imagine he’s enjoying the change from race car driver to fashion retailer.”
Liam Lawson makes ‘brutal’ admission about watching Daniel Ricciardo in 2024
Given the success Ricciardo has had in F1 over the years, it would have been difficult to see how his career went out on a whimper with Racing Bulls last year.
That was how Lawson felt as he sat on the sidelines as Red Bull’s reserve driver. The 23-year-old was denied a full-time seat in 2024 despite leaving an impression with AlphaTauri.
Lawson admitted it was ‘brutal’ watching Ricciardo in 2024 – he knew that the Aussie’s downfall would lead to him getting another chance in F1. After scoring four points in the final six races, the Kiwi driver was promoted to Red Bull as Perez’s replacement.
Surprisingly, Ricciardo was the only driver to congratulate Lawson on his promotion. Many would think the former would hold a grudge after the latter took his seat – the fact he does not ‘says a lot about him’ as a person.
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