Daniel Ricciardo gets F1 lifeline with new role at Red Bull

Red Bull team advisor Helmut Marko has confirmed the team is keen to offer Daniel Ricciardo an ambassadorial role after the Australian competed in his last grand prix in Singapore.

The 35-year-old was recently left out of the Red Bull RB reserve team, with Liam Lawson chosen to partner Yuki Tsunoda in the last six races, starting with the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, on October 20.

Ricciardo finished 16th in Singapore and was visibly emotional as he received a guard of honor in the paddock. He later said he was “at peace” with the fact that it was probably his last race in F1.

Speaking to YouTube channel Formula1.de, Marko confirmed that the Milton Keynes-based team was “interested” in giving the Australian an ambassador role. Planet F1.

“He is one of the most popular Formula 1 drivers, especially in the United States,” Marko said of the Australian.

Marko added that Ricciardo “wants time to think about his whole future” and has not yet agreed to continue in a role at Red Bull.

It remains to be seen what the 35-year-old will do after a 13-year F1 career ends, although Marko added that he does not believe Ricciardo would move on to another racing series.

“I don’t think so. And if he’s not actively driving anymore, does he even want these PR activities?” Marko added.

Ricciardo said IndyCar “still scares me” in an interview in Singapore, while adding that he doesn’t know if he would find “real fulfillment doing something else.”

“I thought about it because I also thought about it a few years ago when I knew I wasn’t going to start the 2023 season, but I don’t know,” he added. “I know I’m still a competitor. I know I still have a lot of fire in me, but maybe that itch is scratched by doing something else.

“It’s hard. It’s even about just being in the sport and maybe fighting for a 10th place every now and then. Maybe it’s the same thing doing another series – and no disrespect to the other series, but because I went there and experienced the highest of highs, do I would I get real fulfillment by doing something else?

“(There’s) no guarantee that I’ll be good at anything else, so is this actually going to scratch the itch and give me what I want? I don’t know.”