Daniel Ricciardo has received significant support from the F1 community following his abrupt exit from RB after the Singapore GP two weeks ago. While the team believed it made the right decision, Ricciardo’s F1 future now hangs in the balance. Williams’ Alex Albon has reacted to the Aussie’s premature departure, expressing hope that he considers NASCAR to keep his racing career alive.
Speaking to Autosport, Albon said, “I feel for Daniel. I think he’s a super driver, more than anything else. So, I’m sure he is going to find his feet and do something. I don’t know what it would be. I could see him doing something like NASCAR or something.”
Albon also discussed why Red Bull (RB’s parent team) may have decided to sack Ricciardo. With young drivers like Oliver Bearman and Franco Colapinto performing exceptionally well in the few races they’ve competed in in 2024, the Williams driver believes Red Bull may have wanted to give their young talent, Liam Lawson, an opportunity.
Finally watched a replay of NASCAR at the Glen! Wow! Loved it! @MarcosAmbrose hustled! Great racing. That’s what it’s all about
— Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo) August 14, 2012
In 2023, Lawson did a standout job as Ricciardo’s substitute for five races after the latter injured his wrist in a crash in Zandvoort. Nevertheless, he did not get the AlphaTauri (now RB) seat for 2024. Now with his rumored contract clause pushing Red Bull to give him a seat, Ricciardo had to take the axe.
With no opportunities in F1 for 2025, Ricciardo is most likely going back home to Australia with no racing plans for next season. He likes NASCAR a lot, but the eight-time F1 race winner has expressed that he doesn’t feel he can race in the stock car discipline.
Ricciardo is not a fan of oval racing
Despite having loved NASCAR as a sport since childhood, Ricciardo is not a fan of oval-shaped racing tracks. Many NASCAR and some IndyCar races take place on venues like that. The Perth-born driver has even mentioned in the past that IndyCar scares him due to the higher likelihood of crashes on oval circuits.
At the Singapore GP weekend, amid the speculation about his exit, Ricciardo was asked about a potential move to IndyCar or NASCAR. Per PlanetF1, the 35-year-old said, “IndyCar still scares me”. While he respects these non-F1 categories, Ricciardo stated,
“Because I’ve been there and experienced the highest of the highs, will I get true fulfillment doing something else? [There’s] no guarantee I’ll be good as something else.”
It’s either a lack of self-confidence or a realization that his days at the top are long gone. Nevertheless, Ricciardo seems set to hang up his racing gloves and undertake ventures outside the sport — or perhaps with the media and broadcasting side of the sport.
