JA on F1 Podcast: What next for Daniel Ricciardo?

Daniel Ricciardo’s Formula 1 swansong may only have come a few weeks ago, but speculation is rife as to what could be next for the Australian.

Keen to catch the attention of the former eight-time grand prix winner, Supercars chief executive Shane Howard told News Corp: “I think everyone would welcome Daniel with open arms, absolutely.

“Would we like to see Daniel Ricciardo in a Supercar? 100 per cent.”

Citing the planned 2026 race on a new street track in Perth, Ricciardo’s hometown, he added that seeing the former Red Bull driver line up alongside the series regulars would be “absolutely massive”.

Asked on the James Allen on F1 Podcast what he believes could be next for Ricciardo, journalist and broadcaster Greg Rust said: “I think he'll probably have a little breather to get a bit of perspective on what's happened here.

“The Supercars thing intrigues me. He has driven one, of course, in a promotional capacity.

“Probably compared to Mark Webber, who didn't really warm to that idea – he just thought there was more lose by doing that than to gain because they’re such unique race cars, Daniel might entertain that idea.”

Ricciardo’s previous Supercars outing came in a promotional event at Calder Park in 2019, where he drove alongside Rick Kelly.

Rick Kelly, Kelly Racing Nissan, Daniel Ricciardo, Renault F1 Team

Photo by: Castrol Racing

Despite the appealing thought of seeing Ricciardo return to his home country, Rust added: “I hope he's not lost to Formula 1.

“It will take a little while to get his head around being involved in another capacity. I don't know what that is.

“I know, for example, in that little period there before he came back to the sport, he did some commentary with the comedian, Will Arnett from the Smartless podcast and so on. You know, maybe something like that.

“If he's involved in the sport in some way in the paddock, and if he could get his head around that in time, it'd be very hard to stop.

“That's why I think he spent so long in Singapore there in the cockpit the other night, because to stop doing that is a very, very difficult thing when it's been your life for so long.”