Daniel Ricciardo says he is “enjoying life in the slow lane” for now as he gave an update closing the door on a return to Formula One.
The Australian has kept a low profile since he was unceremoniously axed by Racing Bulls at last year’s Singapore Grand Prix, bring his 258-race F1 career to an end.
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Ricciardo has been enjoying life away from the track and has kept quiet apart from appearances to spruik his successful clothing and wine brands, and fronting a sports betting campaign.
He played a game of padel with his good mate Scotty James, Oscar Piastri and George Russell in Monaco recently.
The F1 season reaches its halfway point at this weekend’s British Grand Prix and the silly season of driver moment will kick into gear during the midseason break.
All eyes are on which two drivers are chosen for the new Cadillac team, which is joining F1 in 2026 as the sport’s 11th team.
The Cadillac-General Motors team is believed to be keen on starting out with a veteran presence of drivers who have been on the grid before.
Former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez and Mercedes reserve driver Valtteri Bottas are the current favourites to drive for Cadillac next year, but the American team could take a punt on a US driver or an unproven rookie.
Ricciardo remains a hugely popular figure in America and among F1 fans, but he didn’t sound like a man desperate for a racing comeback as he gave an update on how retired life is going.
“I’m just enjoying some life in the slow lane,” Ricciardo said.
“I mean, it sounds weird saying like retirement when I’m 35 years old, but retirement from at least the world I was living in. It’s cool.”
Ricciardo is in the UK at the moment ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone, and he was spotted soaking in the Day 2 action at Wimbledon on his 36th birthday.
The WA native cut a relaxed figure as he watched the tennis at the All England Club, looking content as he enjoyed the day out with his parents Grace and Joe.
Ricciardo wants to inspire the next generation of race car drivers through his Daniel Ricciardo Series, where youngsters compete in karting events across the UK.
The eight-time F1 race winner attended the latest round of his karting series at Buckmore Park in England last weekend, giving him a different perspective.
“To be at the kart track… it’s my first time at a racetrack since I guess Singapore, so quite a few months now,” Ricciardo said.
“But it’s cool to see the kids… this is why I started karting.
“I’ve had photos with groups of the kids and I can tell the friendships they have, and these friendships will last a lifetime a lot of them.
“My best friend to this day was a friend that I raced karts with. It’s nice to be back at like the grassroots of it and the most pure form of racing.”
Now he is the one getting mobbed by the kids.
“I think now that I’m a bit removed from it and life is not as chaotic, it’s nice to remember what it was like to be at the start of the career,” he said.
“We all have idols and heroes…
“I would be very nervous meeting someone who I admired, so I understand sometimes it’s a bit overwhelming. But everyone seems pretty cool. I guess maybe I’m not the only driver they’ve met before – there’s a lot of F1 fans here!
“I think just to have someone that you want to try and obviously look up to and someone that can inspire you… if I’m able to sprinkle a tiny bit of inspiration or motivation today by being here and having a chat to a few kids, that’s awesome. That’s something I know I appreciated when I was eight, nine, 10 years old.”
Ricciardo said his advice for any youngster coming through the karting scene was simply to “go and have fun!”.
“It was always just, ‘Go and have fun’,” he said.
“It wasn’t about trying to impress someone or be someone you’re not. ‘If you do this you’ll be on TV and make money’. It wasn’t about that, it was just, ‘Go and have fun’.
“It kind of helped me also… like racing is scary, you know? I think it helped me at school have a bit more confidence. Everyone’s shy, we all go through things growing up, so I think it kind of gave me confidence in myself as a person, also away from the track. So, that’s something I took from it.
“But as far as the driving goes, honestly it was just about me having fun. I was playing with my friends (at the track), we were riding scooters and stuff, and my dad was always dragging me like, ‘The kart’s on the grid, put your helmet on!’
“The karting was kind of secondary a lot of the time. It was just to be in this environment with friends.”
The F1 season continues at Silverstone this weekend as Australia’s Oscar Piastri looks to bounce back after his McLaren teammate Lando Norris trimmed the Aussie’s championship lead to 15 points with victory at the Austrian Grand Prix.