2 days Ago By Harry Smith
Helmut Marko has confirmed that Daniel Ricciardo was present at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix , but the 35-year-old was not in contention to replace Liam Lawson after the New Zealander was dropped just two races into his Red Bull career. Lawson replaced Ricciardo at Racing Bulls with six races remaining of the 2024 season, giving Red Bull an opportunity to assess their young driver options. With Sergio Perez struggling for form, Marko and Christian Horner looked internally for the Mexican racer’s replacement.
Despite losing out six-nil in qualifying, Lawson was chosen ahead of Racing Bulls team-mate Yuki Tsunoda as Perez’s replacement. Ricciardo, meanwhile, was unable to secure another seat on the grid for 2025. Now, Red Bull are undergoing another driver swap after a tumultuous start to the campaign.
When Red Bull made the decision to drop Lawson, eight-time Grand Prix winner Ricciardo was not considered as a potential replacement. "No, that was never considered," Marko told Motorsport Netherlands . "Daniel did his last race and has stayed away from Formula One since then.
He was there briefly in Australia, but I think he was gone again on Thursday. This was never an issue." Ricciardo was tipped as a potential option for the new Cadillac team after the American auto manufacturer joined the grid ahead of the 2026 season, given his experience and love for US culture.
However, when asked by fans at a meet-and-greet for his Enchante merchandise, he replied: “Nah, I’m done.” While Ricciardo’s comments seemingly confirm his retirement from F1, Cadillac have a number of alternative options as they put together their driver line-up for their debut season in 2026. Colton Herta is the frontrunner to secure the first seat with the team.
The IndyCar sensation was headhunted by AlphaTauri in 2022 but didn’t acquire the necessary super license points. Now, he is in a better position and is seen as the perfect American driver to fly the flag in Cadillac’s debut season. Alongside him, Cadillac will likely opt for an experienced veteran to aid car development.
In that category, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas are the leading contenders. While the Mexican racer comes with a significant financial incentive, the latter is pushing hard for a return to the grid. "I think I said it before,” Bottas explained before the season opener in Melbourne.
“Ideally, I would be up on the grid racing, I hope that could be possible for next season. But for now, obviously here to work with the team and trying to be as useful as I can. “And then we take it kind of month by month, and we see what happens.
But ultimately, my goal is to be back on the grid in '26 one way or the other. But if not, then we need to look at other alternatives.".
