F1 star Daniel Ricciardo has expressed a desire to compete outside the series as his future on the grid becomes increasingly uncertain.
Ricciardo currently plays for Red Bull’s sub-team Visa Cash Up RB, but with his contract expiring at the end of this season, the Australian may be considering retiring from the sport for good.
Ricciardo has driven for five different teams in his 13-year Formula 1 career and is no stranger to adapting to a new environment before getting behind the wheel.
The 35-year-old raced for Red Bull from 2014 to 2018 before making a surprise move to Renault, and has been chasing the success he enjoyed with Christian Horner’s team ever since.
Ricciardo, who was seen as a possible successor to the underperforming Sergio Pérez earlier this season, will be given the chance to maintain his current position, let alone be promoted to a top team.
Ricciardo talks about NASCAR dreams
With his time in F1 running out, Ricciardo has admitted he would consider a move to a rival racing series if he were demoted next season. In an interview with Tourism Western Australia, Ricciardo said: “There are things I would like to try and experience”
“I don’t know, let’s just say competitively, I grew up a NASCAR fan. I would like to drive NASCAR. For example, I would like to drive around Daytona.
If the Grand Prix winner’s wish comes true, it won’t be his first time behind the wheel of a NASCAR car, as he drove his idol Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s 1984 Chevrolet at the 2021 United States Grand Prix.
Ricciardo, who had thought about a possible career change abroad, continued: Yes and no, but I also know that it’s not something I did as a kid and I probably smoke more than I’m not sure I need to.
“I’d love to try it.”
The RB star’s ambitions don’t stop there. Ricciardo also spoke about his love for MotoGP, saying, “I’d love to try a MotoGP bike but it would be very, very slow and probably awful.” Simple as everything back then.
But the Australian driver reflected on the possibility of racing closer to his home country, saying:
Actually, Bathurst would be fine of course. It’s a V8 race there. But, you know, there’s the 12-hour race and stuff, so maybe we could do that.
“If a V8 team said, ‘I’d love to do a few laps of Bathurst, I don’t feel any pressure, I just want to experience it,’ I’d definitely do it.
Ricciardo now has seven races left in the 2024 season to prove his worth. However, even if he leaves Formula 1, we may well see the Australian back on the track in the future.