F1 fan-favourite announces shock retirement one year after brutal sacking

Former Red Bull and McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo has announced he has retired from all motor racing, a year after his Formula 1 exit.

While it has long been known that Ricciardo’s F1 career was over, many fans hoped and expected that he would continue racing in another series.

Ahead of this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza, the popular Aussie teased a partnership with Ford Racing, leading to speculation he was heading to the Word Endurance Championship or NASCAR.

But on Friday, he instead announced that he was merely becoming an ambassador for the team and, after months of speculation, confirmed his retirement.

‘While my racing days are behind me, my love for anything with wheels will always remain high, and for that I am proud to be partnering with Ford to become a Global Ford Racing Ambassador,’ an open letter from the 36-year-old read.

‘I am going to be working closely with the Ford Racing team and specifically focus on the amazing Raptor brand and lifestyle that Raptor has become for many of Ford’s customers.

‘So why now, and why me? When I decided it was time to retire, I thought long and hard about finding the most authentic way to stay connected to the world of motorsports.

‘For me, racing was always about having fun. It made me happy and created memories that will last a lifetime.’

Considered one of the best drivers to never win the F1 championship, Ricciardo made his debut in 2011 and rose to prominence by beating Sebastian Vettel, then-the four-time reigning champion, in his first year at Red Bull in 2014.

He won seven races during his five seasons at Christian Horner’s team, finishing third in the championship twice, but never had a car capable of challenging Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes for the title.

His exciting driving style and humorous personality made him one of the most famous racers on the grid, with his popularity further surging thanks to the Netflix series Drive to Survive.

Feeling that younger teammate Max Verstappen was being favoured over him, Ricciardo made what proved to be ill-fated moves to Renault and then McLaren.

With the exception of a final victory at Italy 2021, his form plummeted and McLaren ripped up his contract early in order to bring in current championship leader Oscar Piastri.

Red Bull handed him a life-line in 2023 with a seat at their junior team, with the thinking that he would return to be Verstappen’s teammate for this year, but it quickly became clear that he had lost his mojo.

In September 2024, with six races of the season still to go, he was sacked and replaced by Liam Lawson and despite links with the new Cadillac team, he confirmed he was ‘done’ with F1.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.