Daniel Ricciardo will easily make the list of talented drivers who never won an F1 world championship, having won eight races and registered several podiums. However, he can still leave a far greater legacy by attempting to pursue the Triple Crown of Motorsport.
The Triple Crown of Motorsport involves winning the F1 world championship or the Monaco Grand Prix, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Indianapolis 500. Since Ricciardo won the Monaco GP in 2018, he has accomplished one-third of the mission.
Can Ricciardo complete the Triple Crown?
Next up, the Aussie can look to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and race in the World Endurance Championship (WEC). If he can do well and win Le Mans, that could be a big achievement in itself for Ricciardo.
Choosing the right competitive team in the WEC will be key to Ricciardo’s success in Le Mans. Given his questionable career moves in F1 in recent years, the 35-year-old will have to identify opportunities at teams like Porsche, Toyota, and Ferrari—the three manufacturers currently at the top of the WEC standings.
The Indy500 could prove challenging for the eight-time Grand Prix winner, though. Ricciardo has spoken about his reluctance to race in IndyCar altogether. Still, given his ample amount of single-seater experience, he can be successful at Indy500 once to complete the Triple Crown and etch his name into motorsport history.
As IndyCar has a more competitive pecking order with several teams in the hunt for race wins, Ricciardo will have more options to choose from. His relations at McLaren have severed, so that rules out signing for the Arrow McLaren team. However, the Aussie can still look to pursue opportunities at Team Penske or Andretti.
If he can do so and win the Indy500 and Le Mans, Ricciardo will become only the second F1 driver to win the Triple Crown. Previously, only Graham Hill has completed the coveted accolade, winning all three events during his career.
Fernando Alonso is another driver who pursued to complete the Triple Crown. But the Spaniard has only won the F1 world championship and Le Mans, with two failed attempts at the Indy500.
As for Ricciardo, it will take a huge effort to emulate Hill’s achievement. However, before that, he needs to first convince himself to take a shot at the Triple Crown.
Ricciardo isn’t interested in doing anything outside F1
When asked about his wish to race in IndyCar, Ricciardo has stated on multiple occasions that he is afraid of racing in ovals. He also mentioned how he doesn’t feel confident about being competitive in any other category besides F1.
The Aussie holds the same notion for NASCAR, a sport he has watched since his childhood. As for Endurance racing, Ricciardo stated in 2022 amid his exit from McLaren that he doesn’t wish to try his hand at any other category because his focus is only on F1.
As for his F1 prospects currently, with his RB seat gone, the 35-year-old seems to have run out of road at the pinnacle of motorsport. With no contract for 2025, Ricciardo only has an ambassadorial role at Red Bull, similar to his role at the start of 2023 when he joined them as a third driver.
However, the Aussie has explicitly stated that he is not interested in doing something like that again, as it would be like restarting his career.
