"Never say never": Daniel Ricciardo teases racing return

Daniel Ricciardo has fuelled speculation of a return to racing action with a "never say never" nod ahead of a visit to the Indianapolis 500. 

Ricciardo has been out of action since his Formula 1 retirement in 2024, when Liam Lawson replaced him at RB, now Racing Bulls, after the Singapore Grand Prix.

Following his F1 exit, the popular Australian took time away from the public gaze to discover who he was beyond racing, but will attend the Indy 500 alongside driver Conor Daly as part of a brand partnership.

“At the end of my career, I was like, ‘Why do I love it?’ And I just wanted to remove myself for a bit,” Ricciardo said on Daly's Speed Street podcast. “But I think going to other races kind of rebuilt a healthy relationship with it.”

Asked about future plans to return to the cockpit on one series or another, he added: “Never say never. I’m really enjoying not competing where I currently sit, and just enjoying the small things in life, and not having to kind of be on a stage and all that.

“Do I know what I’ll feel in three years, five years? No.

“If I was to do something maybe one day, it would definitely be more from a fun aspect than, like, ‘I’m chasing some championship’ aspect.

“I don’t need to hold a trophy in something. I don’t need this for myself. Sometimes that can take the enjoyment out of racing.

“It’s a balance, because you want to have goals, and that’s obviously what gives you that purpose in the morning. To wake up and push yourself and get in the gym and all that.

“But sometimes that can also rob some of the joy from it."

Laying out a key criteria for any future racing action, Ricciardo said: “I just want to make sure if I was to ever do something again, it’s just joyful, and I don’t have to prove anything or try to be the best.

“I just want to have some fun with it.”