Daniel Ricciardo's Dream Of Racing At Iconic Track Could Come True With New Racing Offer

Saajan Jogia | Oct 1, 2024

MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JUNE 05: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Visa Cash App RB and Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing prepare to take part in the Red Bull Unserious Race during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Canada on June 05, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) / Red Bull Content Pool

Following Daniel Ricciardo's departure from Red Bull's Formula 1 junior team VCARB, he has received an offer from the CEO of the V8 Supercar Championship, who would "certainly like to have him" in one of their cars. The news aligns with Ricciardo's revelation about his desire to race in the Bathurst 12 Hour series.

Ahead of his Formula 1 departure following the Singapore Grand Prix, Ricciardo spoke about life after F1 and the motorsports he’s interested in exploring. While he acknowledged that NASCAR and MotoGP are likely out of reach, his desire to compete in the Bathurst 12 Hour likely caught the attention of the V8 Supercar Championship boss. Despite the differences between the two series, there are enough similarities that could make the Supercar Championship an appealing option for Ricciardo.

Revealing that he was open to receiving offers from teams in an interview with Tourism Western Australia, as reported by Motorsport.com, Ricciardo recently said:

"Obviously it’s the V8 that do the race there, but you know there's the 12 hour and stuff so maybe that's one I could compete in. If a V8 team said 'hey, do you want to do a few laps around Bathurst, no pressure, just to experience it,' then I'll definitely take that up." 

Ricciardo, an eight-time Grand Prix winner, has long been one of Formula 1's most beloved figures, known for his infectious smile and positive presence in the paddock. His charisma and likability even prompted Red Bull's senior advisor, Helmut Marko, to offer him an ambassador role following his departure from the junior team.

V8 Supercars, which primarily race across Australia and New Zealand, host one of their key events at Albert Park. Howard has expressed keen interest in seeing Australian driver Ricciardo compete for one of the teams in the future. Speaking to News Corp, as reported by GPblog.com, he said:

"I think everyone would welcome Daniel with open arms, absolutely. Would we like to see Ricciardo in a Supercar? 100 per cent. Just imagine if he could be in one of our cars and race in a new street race in Perth. That would be something special, wouldn't it? It would be massive.

"He is such an incredible driver and has such an incredible personality and people just absolutely love him. Imagine him racing at Bathurst, wow. That would be very cool indeed. At an appropriate time, we would reach out to Daniel and his management.

"Blake Friend, in his management team, used to work for us at Supercars. At the right time, we would reach out, but we would certainly like to have him in one of our cars, 100 per cent we would."