IndyCar star raises doubts over Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez's Cadillac F1 chances

The names of both former Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez have been linked to the open Cadillac F1 seats in 2026. While the team bosses haven't specifically commented on their chances, IndyCar driver Conor Daly isn't sure about why the axed F1 veterans would be considered.

Ricciardo was dropped by Red Bull's junior team, Visa Cash App RB, after the 2024 Singapore GP, while Perez saw out his disaster of a season with the senior squad before being replaced by Liam Lawson for 2025.

In a YouTube short posted on Conor Daly's channel, the Juncos Hollinger Racing driver commented on F1's social media post where they asked fans to predict Cadillac's F1 driver line-up for 2026 and put up 7 options - Daniel Ricciardo, Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, Yuki Tsunoda, and IndyCar drivers Colton Herta and Alex Palou.

"It was interesting to see the F1 social account put up 'Who do you think drivers are gonna be?' Daly said, adding "Again, I'm not really sure why you'd put someone like Sergio Perez in there."

In the comments section of the YT short, he also responded to a fan who expressed his strong want to see the 'Honey Badger' back in F1. While Daly seconded the sentiment, he doubted if Cadillac would be the right choice.

"Danny Ric is the man. I don’t know if he’ll be the right fit for Cadillac but I hope we see him in a race car again soon," he wrote.

The IndyCar veteran was more interested in knowing that his fellow rivals Palou and Herta were also prospects, with his preferred choice being the latter.

"Colton Herta has a way better chance to be in that situation," he added, backing Cadillac F1 director Mario Andretti's choice.

Earlier this year, in response to a fan's question about a potential comeback with Cadillac, Daniel Ricciardo candidly said "I'm done." However, many non-F1 racing series still await his interest.

Daniel Ricciardo's stance on a potential switch to IndyCar

Daniel Ricciardo at the F1 Grand Prix Of Singapore - Source: Getty

Daniel Ricciardo has addressed a potential IndyCar career twice in the past and has ended up on the 'No' side both times. In 2022, he bluntly expressed fear of racing on ovals, which is IndyCar's USP track type, and has witnessed countless driver deaths because of the dangers of oval racing.

"F**k that. Ovals scare me. Ten years ago, I would have said yes. I’m OK to admit that I’m not OK with ovals," the Aussie driver said via Autosport in 2022 after parting ways with McLaren.

Ricciardo reiterated his stance after the Red Bull exit in 2024, saying (via PlanetF1):

"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."

The 8-time Grand Prix Winner has previously expressed an interest in racing in NASCAR. However, something substantial is yet to arise out of it. The Aussie is currently building his lifestyle brand, Enchante.