Ricciardo handed F1 RETURN boost with shock announcement

Axed Formula-1 star Daniel Ricciardo could be set for a comeback to the sport following a surprising announcement earlier this week.

The fan-favourite racer gained further popularity following his appearances in the hit Netflix docu-series 'Drive to Survive', but faced a career setback after Red Bull junior team VCARB dropped him mid-season.

READ MORE: FIA confirm Las Vegas F1 GP PENALTY in major title moment

Despite his experience in the sport, the 35-year-old was often outperformed by younger team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, who himself is now reportedly being considered for the promotion up to Red Bull's main team after Sergio Perez has been struggling to keep up with star driver Max Verstappen.

After a disappointing run of results, Aussie driver Ricciardo was replaced at RB by reserve driver Liam Lawson who is now paired with Tsunoda.

The team's history has clearly shown they are not afraid to make difficult decisions when it comes to their driver lineups and with a strong pool of talent awaiting an F1 opportunity within their junior programme, any Red Bull seat is likely to come with a lot of pressure.

Although Christian Horner's team has developed an impressive young driver programme, the team principal hasn't shied away from suggesting they would be interested in talent from elsewhere- stirring the pot earlier this year by expressing interest in signing Mercedes star George Russell- with the team now also reportedly considering Williams driver Franco Colapinto to join their ranks.

Should Horner and the team's advisor Helmut Marko lose hope in their own young drivers such as F2 star Isack Hadjar, they may be forced to look elsewhere for a seat.

READ MORE: New US F1 team making 'SIGNIFICANT' progress in entry bid

GM/Cadillac F1 entry could hand Ricciardo comeback

Luckily for F1 hopefuls like Hadjar, two new seats are likely to become available from 2026 after F1 recently confirmed an agreement had been reached for a new team to join the grid from the 2026 season.

After years of American giant Andretti Global pushing to join the sport, F1 have confirmed that a new entry bid has been successful from another American brand, with an agreement announced this week for General Motors/Cadillac to join the sport as an 11th team.

With the new entry now in the works, the question on everybody's lips is who will General Motors/Cadillac pick for their first driver pairing.

Another team who faced a similar predicament earlier this year were Sauber who, ahead of becoming Audi from 2026, secured the signatures of experienced driver Nico Hulkenberg and F2 star Gabriel Bortoleto.

If the American giant were to take a leaf out of Audi's book, this could suggest a career lifeline may be on offer for Ricciardo- his experience and understanding of the sport potentially just what the team need to hit the ground running.

If the combination of experience and youth proves successful for Audi, GM/Cadillac could side with a driver like Ricciardo or even Sebastian Vettel if he can be tempted out of retirement, with rookies like Hadjar or fellow F2 stars Theo Pourchaire and Felipe Drugovich both available and eager to secure a spot on the F1 grid.

Naturally, GM/Cadillac will also be looking for drivers who align with their growing brand and prove popular to an American audience, with IndyCar driver Colton Herta already being linked to the seat.

Where Ricciardo could come in handy however is his own popularity across the pond, the fan-favourites charisma and energy having proved to have won American audiences over, especially after becoming the star of Netflix hit docu-series Drive to Survive.

As the sport grows exponentially stateside, Ricciardo would not only be a wise choice as GM/Cadillac's first driver signing but also an immensely popular one.

READ MORE: F1 team announce OFFICIAL signing of new American driver

Related

Latest F1 News

New US F1 team making 'SIGNIFICANT' progress in entry bid

• November 23, 2024 06:00

F1 Social

Ricciardo BACK behind the wheel as axed star supports Red Bull driver

• November 20, 2024 01:00