What's next for Daniel Ricciardo?

The last time Daniel Ricciardo was absent from the F1 grid following his McLaren profession, his hopeful fans were quickly rewarded together with his return as he replaced Nick DeVries at RB. However, following Ricciardo's unceremonious departure from the grid midway through the 2024 season, hopes of his eventual return may fade because it appears he could hang up his racing boots for good.

Over the course of 13 years, the Australian driver has achieved a string of iconic victories, namely Monaco in 2018 and Monza in 2021, while becoming considered one of the largest names in global motorsport. His megawatt smile and laid-back attitude won't soon be forgotten by fans or the paddock, but his break from the show leaves the 35-year-old facing a possible profession change. Boots and helmets aside, and considering his other projects and interests, what could possibly be on the horizon for the previous F1 driver?

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Hollywood

Ricciardo is already making strides to interrupt into the highlight together with his Hulu-backed comedy titled Pressure. The series, currently in testing, centers on the heir to a racing dynasty who’s thrown back into the family business and compelled to make difficult decisions regarding her team's success. The half-hour scripted program was presented as Surroundings the motion takes place within the F1 paddock with Alec Berg and Adam Countee – the duo behind the HBO series Silicon Valley – writing the series.

Ricciardo is an executive producer on the series, but when he desires to try his hand at one other project, perhaps one which takes him in front of the camera, he'll don’t have any shortage of opportunities. The Perth native is represented by powerhouse talent agency CAA, which boasts an enviable client list that features Oscar winners, Super Bowl champions and nearly all the pieces in between. He recently honed his acting skills by working together with his buddy, Bills quarterback Josh Allen (one other CAA client), on an elaborate Beats promotion consisting of a brief film and a singular line of merchandise. After leaving the F1 grid, he continued to lean on that friendship and his love for the Bills.

I wouldn't be surprised if Ricciardo leans more on his love for American sport in his next profession move. Although he has actually established himself as an Australian sports hero over time [see: the shoey]while racing in Texas over the past decade, he has been equally cooperative with the United States. Some might argue that he has even develop into a de facto American for hundreds of thousands of latest U.S. fans who discovered this quintessentially European sport throughout the pandemic and needed a driver to root for.

Fashion

Once Ricciardo had develop into a longtime racing figure within the paddock, like many F1 drivers, he launched a private line of merchandise. However, he proved how serious he was about threading by changing his name from RIC3 to Enchante and commenced releasing thoughtful, limited editions that fans love. The hugely successful brand is backed by Harry Styles' pal Xander Ritz's company, The Loyalist, and could be purchased online in addition to at plenty of pop-ups, most recently in New York. Time will tell, after all, however it looks like Ricciardo has built a robust enough fan base that sales are usually not depending on his presence in F1.

As for his foray into fashion, we spotted him on the 2023 Met Gala in a custom Thom Browne suit. While Ricciardo was grateful to find a way to walk the steps of the Met, he quickly admitted that high fashion wasn't exactly his style. If I were placing bets, I'd say he'll largely leave this sector to Lewis Hamilton.

Music

Ricciardo has long professed his deep love for music, while admitting in the identical breath that he has little or no musical talent (you’ll be able to relate). If you've listened to his long-form interviews and podcasts over time, the motive force often mentions music as a passion he'd wish to explore in a post-F1 world, no matter his vision of what that appears like. a bit unclear.

I obviously don't have a crystal ball, but I predict he could take an untraditional path within the music industry. Maybe he'll own a venue or get into the live events space as an alternative of constructing his own music, but I'm also betting that this can be a little bit of a long-term plan and we'll see him try his hand at a couple of other things first.

Wine

Unless you're actively in search of it, you might not even realize that Ricciardo is working with the St Hugo wine brand and his own DR3 wine. The promotion relied quite heavily on the Australian market, where the product is sold in considered one of the biggest liquor stores within the country, but will also be purchased online.

Unlike George Clooney's tequila brand, Casamigos, which has made it by itself without the A-lister, DR3's wine portfolio relies heavily on Ricciardo himself to advertise the product, so if he desires to, he may have to proceed to support himself by entering into the wine business . I’d rate this category quite low by way of the likelihood of Ricciardo rebranding as sommelier anytime soon.

IndyCar, NASCAR or one other racing series

It hates to confess it, but I believe there's an excellent probability that Ricciardo has hung up his entire racing kit for good, which suggests it's unlikely he'll pursue his dream in every other series.

Ricciardo told reporters (including me, when interviewing him) that he has few passions outside of racing and would probably not go to a different series after F1 simply to proceed driving. If you take a look at his social media feeds, he spends time on two wheels with Australian motocross stars Hunter and Jett Lawrence, so it's possible he doesn't feel the necessity to compete to get that fix. Of course, there's all the time the prospect of a one-off appearance at races like Le Mans, but for those who're waiting for a NASCAR announcement, you can be waiting some time… or perpetually.

Comment

As Tom Brady proved within the NFL, the perfect athletes aren't all the time the perfect commentators. However, someone like Jolyon Palmer, who had a very unremarkable profession in F1, has develop into considered one of the game's top experts. I’d like to see Ricciardo in front of the camera in some capability because he’s a incredible personality, but history shows that this will not be his strongest suit (see his failed try and commentate on ESPN throughout the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix festival).

Given that Ricciardo's strengths lie in his energetic charm and skill to place people comfy, I can imagine him signing with a network that can allow him to cover several different sports to some extent, making him a broader media personality fairly than a pure F1 pundit .