Daniel Ricciardo: Fan coaxes F1 future call as Aussie star firms for move to Toyota and Supercars
“Nah, I’m done!”
These three words marked the moment an adoring fan led Formula One superstar Daniel Ricciardo to drop an unintended snapshot into his future — and Australian motorsport fans should be cheering.
Ricciardo met fans for pictures last weekend, and as he posed for a quick video, one man asked about his next move and whether it might involve the newly announced Cadillac outfit set to join F1 in 2026.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“No Cadillac?” the fan asked.
Ricciardo’s reply was instant and definitive: “Nah, I’m done.”
This random encounter produced the strongest pointer yet that Ricciardo may be considering a move to a different class, with Toyota reportedly preparing a “blank cheque” offer to lure the West Australian.
Toyota is finalising its preparations for its new team’s move into NASCAR in the US and the Australian Supercars Series and feels Ricciardo’s experience and fan appeal would be a perfect fit to build the profile of its emerging teams.
A ‘drive’ with Toyota in the Supercars series could potentially see Ricciardo line up in Australia’s greatest motor race, the Bathurst 1000, and also at home in Perth for the new race on the calendar.
The chairman of the Toyota Motor Corporation, Akio Toyoda, has reportedly told his executive team that Ricciardo is the perfect fit to take Toyota’s new Legacy brand forward in NASCAR and Supercars with a massive bid to lure the Aussie being formulated.
Sources close to the Toyota inner sanctum as saying a starting point bid of $US10 million will be tabled to Ricciardo if he makes the jump from F1.
Toyoda allegedly chaired a ‘behind closed doors’ meeting to discuss his desire for Ricciardo to join Toyota, and it seems money will be no object.
“I’ve been told that Toyoda-san can see his (Ricciardo) value, not just as a driver, but as someone who can drag in the fans in huge numbers because of his natural charisma,” the Toyota source said.
Red Bull have this week intimated that as they prepare for the departure of their top-tier driver, Mexican Sergio Perez, who had a disastrous 2024 season, they intend to promote from within and then add one of the academy drivers to bolster its ranks.
Cadillac will be on the lookout for two new drivers a new won’t be short of options for 2026.
Kevin Magnussen, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are all currently without drives for 2025 and Perez will also be a strong consideration.
