Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 career may have come to an end after RB confirmed that they were replacing him with Liam Lawson despite there only being six races remaining this season. Amid all this, former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde has suggested the Honey Badger to try a career in television.
Speaking on the DRS podcast, Van der Garde highlighted that Ricciardo deserved a proper farewell and not an abrupt end to his career like this. The former Caterhman driver empathizes with the 35-year-old but also understands why Red Bull have to abide by Lawson’s supposed contract clause.
As for what Ricciardo can do next, he said as quoted by Formule1.nl, “Of course he can go into endurance racing or something like that.” However, due to his charismatic personality, van der Garde recommended,
“But actually it’s time for him to do television. He has such a strong personality and he also does the marketing side very well. I’m sure he’ll get an offer.”
Thank you, Daniel #F1 pic.twitter.com/GmEZYXAML4
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 26, 2024
Previously, several people have talked about Ricciardo having the potential to be a great fit for the media and broadcasting side of F1 and motorsport. F1TV presenter Will Buxton also seconded this notion while speaking about the Aussie’s 2025 seat chances a month ago.
Even if he seems like a shadow of the driver he was in the mid-2010s, Ricciardo has been wanting to find his way back to the top. His primary motivation to return to the Red Bull stable was to race for the Milton Keynes outfit again and fight for wins and championships. Now, it seems as if he will have to give up that dream and find a new calling if he can in other categories.
Will Ricciardo look to race in other categories?
Back in 2022-23, Ricciardo had to sit out on the sidelines after McLaren dropped him. There were suggestions that the Aussie should try racing in another discipline. However, Ricciardo explicitly denied such a possibility with his focus set on F1 only.
He served as Red Bull’s third driver, doing marketing and PR events work and some simulator work for the race team. Some experts had stated that Ricciardo could have tried a short stint in IndyCar, Endurance racing, or even his favorite — NASCAR.
Now, the same question persists for the eight-time Grand Prix winner. He has mentioned that IndyCar isn’t something he fancies due to the danger factor. Moreover, he isn’t confident that he can excel across the pond in either IndyCar or NASCAR.
With #IndyCar not looking like an option for Daniel Ricciardo whenever his time in #F1 ends, the Australian says he’ll have some thinking to do regarding #NASCAR and whether it’ll give him the satisfaction winning races in F1 has. #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/EYfd9iEtyp
— Pit Debrief (@PitDebrief) September 19, 2024
While this notion about NASCAR is quite correct — with the stock car category having completely different dynamics in training, cars, and the season schedule — Ricciardo can consider IndyCar as a potential option.
Several former F1 drivers like Romain Grosjean and Marcus Ericsson have moved over to IndyCar and enjoyed their time competing. Even young talents like Callum Illott and Theo Pourchaire have raced in the American open-wheel series.
