"It still scares me!”: When Daniel Ricciardo made a blunt IndyCar admission amid a potential F1 snub

Daniel Ricciardo was replaced by VCARB after the 2024 Singapore GP, with Liam Lawson taking the place of the outgoing Australian. Ricciardo spoke before the Singapore GP about the possibility of moving to a different racing series, including IndyCar.

The former F1 driver revealed how IndyCar scares him and that he's not sure whether he would enjoy the other racing series after the highs of the pinnacle of Motorsports. Daniel Ricciardo said (via Racer)

“IndyCar still scares me! I mean, I’ve thought about it because I also thought about it a couple of years ago when I knew that I wasn’t going to start the ’23 season. I don’t know. I know I’m still a competitor. I know I still have a lot of fire in me. Maybe that itch is scratched doing something else, I don’t know. We’ll see.

“It’s hard. Even talking about being in the sport [F1] and fighting for even a 10th place every now and then… It’s maybe the same with doing another series, and no disrespect to other series — I’m a fan of NASCAR and a lot of other forms of motorsport — but because I’ve been there and experienced the highest of highs, will I get true fulfillment doing something else?”

He concluded:

“No guarantee I’ll be awesome doing something else. Is that actually going to scratch the itch and give me what I want? I don’t know. I’d probably say more no than yes.

Daniel Ricciardo knew that it was his last week in F1 during the Singapore GP weekend. He was spotted spending time inside the car after the race and soaking in everything. The Aussie got emotional after the race and had tears in his eyes.

A couple of days later, Red Bull announced Lawson as his replacement as many questioned why Ricciardo didn't get a proper sendoff and farewell.

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“Would be a great pundit”: Marco Priestly on Daniel Ricciardo's post F1 career

Marco Priestly, a former F1 mechanic and member of the pit crew with the McLaren F1 team, spoke about the possibility of Daniel Ricciardo joining as an F1 pundit and returning to the F1 paddock.

Marco Priestly said (via Casino Uden Rofus):

“Ricciardo would be a great pundit, he’s a media dream. Some drivers decide they want to get out of the car and spend time with their family and friends. After six months or a year, they decide they want to come back into the sport in some way.”

“It comes down to Ricciardo’s decision, but I have no doubt he’ll pick whatever suits him because for once, Ricciardo has the freedom to do whatever he wants to do. After being in a controlled environment for so long, it must be a nice feeling for him.”

Daniel Ricciardo took time off after being sacked by McLaren before the 2023 season. The Aussie hasn't confirmed his future plans after the 2024 VCARB sacking and is taking time away from motorsports.