Red Bull advisor hints on Daniel Ricciardo's future as team remains "interested" in keeping ties with Aussie driver

Dr. Helmut Marko has hinted towards a potential non-racing role for Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull as the team remains interested in working with him. He was recently released from VCARB mid-season and will be replaced by Liam Lawson.

Daniel Ricciardo's mid-season departure from VCARB was announced earlier this week. He had been racing with the team since the 2023 season. Ironically enough, he was signed to replace Nyck de Vries after 10 rounds of last season.

Despite Red Bull waving what seems to be a final goodbye to Ricciardo, Marko recently revealed that the team is interested in continuing to work with him. He claimed that the Australian might not move to any other racing series.

"We have had a conversation and it is clear that we are interested," Marko said ."He is one of the most popular Formula 1 drivers, especially in the United States. But he wants time to consider his entire future."

"I don't think he will enter any other racing category. And, on the other hand, if he is no longer actively racing, will he still want these PR activities at all? Ricciardo also has a lot of money in the bank and I would say it is a life decision for him to decide how he wants to shape his future life."

Daniel Ricciardo also confirmed earlier that he is not considering a reserve driver role in the sport anymore considering his age.

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Could Daniel Ricciardo find a seat in F1 in the future?

The 2025 grid is almost set and finalized. Currently, there seem to be no seats for the 35-year-old. Only Sauber could provide him with a seat if Valtteri Bottas is sacked, which seems unlikely.

Moreover, when Ricciardo took his first sabbatical after he departed from McLaren post 2022, he mentioned that he would want to return with a competitive team in the future. Red Bull then signed him as its third driver, which kept a hope for him to return to the team, but that does not seem to be the case now.

Talking about the possibility of joining the grid again as a reserve driver, Daniel Ricciardo rejected the idea.

"No," Ricciardo said. "Obviously last year it made a lot of sense to keep one foot in the door and the big picture was to try and get back at Red Bull. "I think if I was to do that again... I'm not going to restart my career."

It seems unlikely that Ricciardo would be joining the F1 grid again in the capacity of a permanent driver in the near future. There might be a possibility for him in other racing series such as IndyCar. However, he hasn't made any statement regarding this.