Bluntly honest feedback on Daniel Ricciardo's chance of a shock F1 2026 return

Cadillac shoots down rumours linking Daniel Ricciardo to a 2026 F1 seat.

16 Jul 2025

Cadillac has ruled out the possibility of Daniel Ricciardo returning to Formula 1 to join its fledgling team in 2026.

Eight-time grand prix winner Ricciardo has been without a drive since Racing Bulls dropped him with six races to go in the 2024 season.

Since his exit, the Australian has maintained a low profile and hasn’t attended many public events.

Given his experience and success in F1, particularly with Red Bull’s flagship team in the mid-2010s, he would be a big asset for a team like Cadillac during its formative years.

But Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon said Ricciardo is not on the list of candidates being considered for a drive, citing the 36-year-old’s stance on a comeback.

“I think he has publicly said that he is not interested in Formula 1,” Lowdon told the High Performance podcast.

Lowdon also made it clear that he doesn’t want to make any attempt to persuade Ricciardo out of retirement.

“It's not my job,” said the former Manor/Marussia boss. “If I need to convince someone, then it's the wrong person. You never need to convince a Formula 1 driver to jump in the car.

Pressed further if he doesn’t want to convince Ricciardo to return to F1, he added: “No, definitely not.”

Ricciardo was a graduate of Red Bull's programme and is known to be the only driver to put a realistic challenge to Max Verstappen as his teammate. However, his career tailed off after he chose to sever ties with the energy drinks giant and accept a big-money offer from Renault in 2019.

Ricciardo also spent two years at McLaren in 2021-22 and led the team to an incredible 1-2 at the Italian Grand Prix in his first year, but his results weren't strong enough to warrant a new contract.

Red Bull offered him a reprieve at AlphaTauri in the middle of the 2023 season, but ultimately chose to part with him towards the end of last year after concluding that his performances weren't good enough for a return to a frontrunning team.