DECEMBER 27, 2024

Ricciardo shuts down Cadillac seat rumor

Daniel Ricciardo has quickly shut down all the rumors that were linking him with a return to Formula 1 in 2026 with the new Cadillac team, the Australian making it clear that his time as a Grand Prix driver came to an end in Singapore and that he may be entirely done with motor racing in general.

In a social media exchange with his fans, Ricciardo was asked if there was any possibility he would join the new American team in 2026, the former drivers smiled and just said, “nah, I’m done!”, making it clear that he’s not considering a return to Formula 1. That goes very much in line with what had already said in Singapore, when he raced knowing he was about to be replaced by Liam Lawson but couldn’t confirm it officially.

Three months ago, at the end of what was his last Grand Prix drive, Ricciardo admitted that, “I came back and joined VCARB because I wanted to prove to myself and to Red Bull that I would be the best possible team mate for Max in 2025 and beyond. But that didn’t quite work out and that’s how it goes. I showed the speed is still there, you could see it in Miami, you could see it in Montreal, for example, but I wasn’t as consistent as I wanted to be and as I needed to be.”

The Australian made it clear that, “I’ve got no interest in being in Formula 1 just to be in Formula 1. I’m a fiercely competitive person; I want to be in the game to win it and that’s only going to happen if you’re driving for one of the four top teams. And it’s pretty clear I didn’t show enough for Red Bull or any other top team to come calling, right? So, do I want to stick around and try to find a seat with a smaller team just to stay around and hope things will get better? I don’t think I do, because I gave my all this year and it was clearly not enough, so it’s time to accept that and move on.”

In fairness to Ricciardo, it was social media and then some small websites that hyped up his chances of returning to Formula 1 with Cadillac, as the Australian remains a fan’s favorite and his love of all things American made people believe he’d been a show in for the new team.

Although General Motors and appointed Team Principal Graeme Lowdon have said little or nothing about the line-up their chasing for 2026, it seems clear one of their drivers will be American, with Colton Herta being the hot favorite for the job, while the other driver is expected to be an experienced Formula 1 driver. Being managed by Lowdon, Zhou Guanyu is a strong candidate for the job, with former team mate Valtteri Bottas being also high on the list and already being quite open about his interest in joining this new project. Kevin Magnussen, on the other hand, seems to be done with Formula 1 as he embarks on a new career in Sports Cars, but Franco Colapinto could be also in the frame if Williams remains unable to find him a race seat for 2026.