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Ricciardo acknowledged that staying with Red Bull after 2018 might not have extended his glory years, but rather shortened them.
Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen back together during their Red Bull Racing days (X / Getty Images)
From gearing up for his home Grand Prix to now being a retired eight-time race winner and Global Ford Racing Ambassador, Daniel Ricciardo’s life transformed in the last two years.
After losing his seat in 2024 and stepping away from Formula 1, Ricciardo — in an exclusive conversation with The Athletic — said he’s found something rarer than a late-braking overtake: perspective.
The Red Bull “What If?”
The Aussie first addressed the question that still hangs in the air behind him: what if he’d stayed at Red Bull Racing in 2018 instead of leaving to join Renault?
“That’s the obvious one,” Ricciardo admitted. “I don’t know if it was the right decision.”
At the time, he was going wheel-to-wheel with Max Verstappen and more than holding his own. Across their three seasons together, Ricciardo actually outscored Verstappen 626 points to 621.
But he remained realistic.
“I can’t deny that Max is… Max.”
That “Max” is now a four-time world champion.
Ricciardo acknowledged that staying might not have extended his glory years, but rather shortened them.
“There’s a scenario where Max just obliterated me,” he said. “Maybe my career ends even quicker.”
Not regret, he insisted. Just curiosity.
Not Running From a Fight
When he left Red Bull, the outside noise suggested he was ducking the Verstappen challenge.
“I don’t think I was running from the fight,” Ricciardo said. “I was more concerned about how things were going to go with the team dynamic.”
In other words: less about horsepower, more about harmony.
Even Verstappen’s father, Jos Verstappen, later admitted Ricciardo sharpened his son’s edge.
“Daniel was really good — a qualifying beast. Max learned a lot from him.”
Life After Lights Out
Since announcing his retirement, Ricciardo has leaned into life beyond the paddock.
There’s no comeback tease. No cryptic “never say never.”
Just a driver who once sent it down the inside without hesitation, now comfortable knowing some corners in life don’t need to be retaken.
For Ricciardo, the race is run. But the story? Still pretty well-paced.
March 04, 2026, 23:41 IST
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