Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo set for rare Red Bull reunion

Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo are set to reunite for a rare public appearance together at Red Bull’s F1 2026 season launch event.

Red Bull will reveal their 2026 livery in Detroit on Thursday night (Friday morning UK time) at a season launch event which kicks off their new engine partnership with American car giant Ford.

Verstappen and new Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar will be present, while Ford have confirmed Ricciardo will be a guest at the launch in his new ambassador role.

Ricciardo’s appearance will set up a rare public reunion with Verstappen, who were teammates at Red Bull between 2016 and 2018 before the Australian left to join Renault.

The pair briefly reunited in a recent video shared by Red Bull. Verstappen participated in a series of challenges against Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad in Ford cars from the past 100 years.

Ricciardo turned up for the final challenge and Verstappen was seen trying to convince him to return to racing.

“You need to have a go,” the four-time world champion said to a smiling Ricciardo, who replied: “I might put a race suit on!”

Verstappen has switched driver number to race with the number three on his car during the 2026 F1 season.

Ricciardo, who previously drove with the number three, approved the change.

What is Ricciardo up to now?

Ricciardo has kept a relatively low profile since his F1 exit following the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix.

The eight-time grand prix winner announced his retirement from motorsport last September and has been named Global Ford Racing Ambassador.

Ricciardo has launched several business ventures, primarily in the lifestyle and apparel sectors.

He is the founder of the Enchanté lifestyle brand and has also launched his own wine label DR3 Wines in collaboration with St Hugo.