Shock Daniel Ricciardo call made at Australian Grand Prix

Axed Formula 1 star Daniel Ricciardo will not be making an in-person appearance at his home grand prix this weekend after being dropped from the sport midway through last season.

The Aussie star remains a popular personality among F1 fans, especially at the Australian Grand Prix, and many lucky attendees were shocked to see Ricciardo's presence feature so heavily in the Melbourne paddock this year despite his absence from the event.

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Since joining the pinnacle of motorsport in 2011, Ricciardo has competed in just seven home grands prix, having been struck by bad luck on more than one occasion.

In both 2013 and 2017, the fan-favourite racer joined the starting lineup but was unable to finish his home race, and in 2014, he gifted the home crowd with an Aussie on the podium after finishing P2.

His maiden podium result was later excluded, however, and Ricciardo was disqualified from the race after stewards determined that his car had run with too high a fuel flow rate, breaching the regulations at the time.

READ MORE: FIA issue multiple grid penalties at Australian Grand Prix

F1 fans overjoyed as Ricciardo features in Melbourne paddock

Although the former RB star will not be attending the season-opening Australian Grand Prix this weekend, local fans do have the option of shopping his highly popular personal merchandise line, with a pop-up store in Melbourne opening up to coincide with the race weekend.

Ricciardo's 'Enchante' line extends beyond just clothes, with the 35-year-old also focusing on his wine brand since leaving the sport last season, recently treating fans to a lively promotional video ahead of the 2025 season opener.

Following Friday's practice sessions in Melbourne, Sky F1 presenters Ted Kravitz and Rachel Brookes ventured into the fan zone in the Australian paddock in the light-hearted F1 show segment.

The presenting duo chatted to fans, many of whom had enjoyed quite a few of Ricciardo's DR3 wines, thanks to a vendor selling the new rosé.

They even found a phone booth promoting Ricciardo’s Enchante wine, with Kravitz shocked to find that they could 'call' the former F1 star from the device.

Speaking on The F1 Show, Kravitz said: "There is a strange thing where you can say, 'dial for Dan'.

"I'm not quite sure what happens when you dial for Dan, what happens? Is Daniel on the other end?"

A pair of fans who had used the phone themselves responded: "Yeah he is, he talks about his new rosé."

READ MORE: FIA announce penalty verdict for McLaren star after qualifying incident at Australian GP

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