Ricciardo verdict reached on F1 return after NEW team confirmation

Axed Formula 1 star Daniel Ricciardo's chances of rejoining the F1 grid were given a boost last week, when it was officially confirmed that there will be a new team in the sport from 2026.

Cadillac have been confirmed as the 11th team in the sport, with the American outfit creating their social media pages as they now prepare for the 2026 season, where they will use Ferrari power units.

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Attentions are now switching onto who Cadillac will opt to fill their two seats, with advisor Mario Andretti recently suggesting that they will want an experienced F1 driver to sit alongside a young American racer.

Theoretically, the fact that there will be 22 drivers on the grid from 2026 gives Ricciardo a better chance of making a stunning return to the sport, but is he more likely to be snubbed?

Will Ricciardo return to F1?

2024 saw a number of experienced drivers axed from their seats in the sport. Ricciardo, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas were just three of the big names to find themselves without a drive for 2025.

That trio alone have 24 grand prix victories between them, and that's without taking the likes of Zhou Guanyu, Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher into account.

Frankly, there are lots of drivers who fit the bill as an 'experienced' F1 racer, and Ricciardo's recent performances in the sport surely put him near to the back of the queue.

Ricciardo was axed from his VCARB team in 2024 following a dismal season alongside Yuki Tsunoda.

The incentive was there for the Australian, beat Tsunoda regularly and he would likely be the favourite to replace Perez at Red Bull and complete his return to the very top of the sport.

However, Ricciardo scored just 12 points across 18 races, and was promptly replaced in favour of Liam Lawson after the Singapore Grand Prix.

A similar scenario happened during the 2022 season, when Ricciardo was released early from his McLaren contract following some poor performances in relation to young team-mate Lando Norris.

Two early replacements in his last two full-time jobs in the sport does not make for pretty reading and now, the 35-year-old's F1 career looks to be completely over after 14 seasons.

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Who will race with Cadillac in 2026?

The question is, would Ricciardo even want a return to the sport? The Australian appears to be in retirement mode, enjoying his new life away from the world of racing, if his Instagram posts are anything to go by.

Asked recently by a fan about Cadillac rumours, Ricciardo replied simply 'I'm done,' suggesting that he has retired from the sport, even if it hasn't been officially confirmed.

It could be argued that the reason he hasn't done an official announcement just yet is because he was waiting to see whether Cadillac would be confirmed for 2026, and if the team are after a driver that would immediately bolster their popularity, then fan favourite Ricciardo would be a perfect fit.

However, if they're more looking towards performance, then you would argue that both Bottas and Perez would be better options, particularly Perez having only recently been racing for a championship outfit, whereas both Bottas and Ricciardo were at smaller teams for a few seasons before their axing.

Of course, these aren't the only options for Cadillac. They could look to pull off a huge coup and obtain a driver who is currently driving with a different team, with Tsunoda and George Russell both out of contract as it stands at the end of the season.

If that is the case, then a Ricciardo return to the sport looks just as unlikely as it did before the Cadillac announcement.

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