Ricciardo's recipe for a comeback? A Le Mans drive alongside Verstappen and Vettel

Daniel Ricciardo says he is becoming more open to the idea of a racing comeback in a one-off nature at Le Mans, and would want Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel on his team.

The eight-time grand prix winner ended his Formula 1 career in 2024 when he was replaced mid-season at the now Racing Bulls team, and in a wide-ranging interview with the Beyond The Grid podcast, the Australian admitted he still doesn’t like how it ended. After two years during which he says he was bitter and didn’t want to be close to the sport, Ricciardo is now warming to the idea of racing again.

“I’m at a place now where I’m actually probably more open than I was in the last two years, or open at the thought,” Ricciardo said. “I went to the Indy 500 this year (main image). I want to say no [I didn’t want to be out there] but it definitely made me feel a love for it, a love for racing, a love for competing.

“A year ago, I would have said, 'I will never put a helmet on again, I'm done, that's it’. But there is something there where I'm like, it would be nice, also for me, to finish a racing career a bit more on my terms. To do something that, when I take the helmet off, I'm smiling and happy. Maybe that's the last bit of closure I need.

“The thought of doing a full championship still doesn't really sound that exciting. Probably a one-off, like a one-off Le Mans … Maybe there’s one of these scenarios for sure that could perk me up.”

Asked for his dream teammates, Ricciardo replied:  “I don't want to put pressure on him, but obviously Max is a name that would be high on the list.

“I’ll say Max is one. We talked [earlier on the podcast] about Red Bull obviously in 2018, and 'what if? and what if?’ I was trying to get back at the team at the end of my career, so maybe that's a way that we could give the people what they want.

“It feels quite liberating, because I wouldn’t have said this a year ago.”

When it was put to him that Vettel should also be part of the team and has tested Porsche’s Hypercar in 2024, Ricciardo replied:

“Obviously he’s been in the paddock but I guess his personal life was always quite private, and he’s always done well to sort of stay off the radar.

“So in a way, sometimes he’s forgot, and it’s like ‘no, this was one of the greatest to ever do it’. There’s no denying that he still is extremely fast and would be fast in anything. So that’s an interesting one… I frickin’ love Seb, so that could be a nice little Red Bull reunion of sorts.”

Verstappen also discussed the comments in Mexico City on Thursday, saying he’s been speaking to Ricciardo but warning it’s something he’d like to do in future but only when he can put together a competitive program.

“He’s a smart man to choose me in the car!” Verstappen said. “We have to see. It just depends on a lot of things for me, like if I want to do it, I want to do it proper with really good prep. At the moment I cannot do that. I do not have the free time to dedicate to a Le Mans project with all the other things I’m doing outside of Formula 1.

“This is not new to me of course! From my side or his [Ricciardo’s] side, I don’t think we are the types that always need to share everything. We talk about a lot of things in the background. I think he said it himself, he doesn’t see himself coming back for a whole season. The one-offs can interest him. Why not?

“If we do something like that – he would agree, it needs to be proper and to have a chance to win. And to have a chance to win against people that do it for a whole season you need to be prepared really well. Just need to find the right timings.”