"My racing days are behind me" - Ricciardo confirms retirement

Daniel Ricciardo has officially confirmed he has retired from racing after being named a global Ford Racing ambassador.

The 36-year-old Australian last raced 12 months ago, his final start in Formula 1 coming for Racing Bulls at the Singapore Grand Prix. He was dropped in favor of Liam Lawson after that race and did not entertain a move to another team. He had previously been trying to earn an opportunity to rejoin Red Bull.

While Ricciardo has largely steered clear of the limelight since his final race, and ruled himself out of being considered for a Cadillac F1 seat in 2026, a blog post as part of his newly-announced role with Ford Racing – the new name for Ford Performance – confirmed he will not be race in any other category in future.

“While my racing days are behind me, my love for anything with wheels will always remain high, and for that I am proud to be partnering with Ford to become a Global Ford Racing Ambassador,” Ricciardo wrote. “I am going to be working closely with the Ford Racing team and specifically focus on the amazing Raptor brand and lifestyle that Raptor has become for many of Ford's customers.

“So why now, and why me? When I decided it was time to retire, I thought long and hard about finding the most authentic way to stay connected to the world of motorsports. For me, racing was always about having fun. It made me happy and created memories that will last a lifetime.”

Ricciardo retires from racing with a record of eight grand prix victories and 32 podiums from 257 starts in a career that included stints at HRT, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Renault and McLaren, prior to his return to what had been Toro Rosso under its Racing Bulls guise.

Ricciardo twice finished in the top three of the drivers’ championship, securing third place behind the dominant Mercedes drivers in 2014 and 2016 while at Red Bull. His last win came for McLaren four years ago at Monza.