Daniel Ricciardo is not thinking yet about what comes after F1 because, he says, he still has a passion for the sport.- However, Ricciardo also told Insider that he knows he is on the backside of his F1 career.
MIAMI — After Daniel Ricciardo hangs up his
On the eve of the inaugural Miami Grand Prix, Insider spoke with Ricciardo about his future in F1, what he wants to do after he's done, and whether he would ever consider taking a run at
"I think the one thing I've accepted is I'm certainly on the second phase of my career, you know, like I've been in F1 now 10, 11 years, and I don't think I'll do another 10, 11," Ricciardo told Insider. "So I'm certainly, like, over the hill in terms of that time. But I'm certainly still enjoying it and hungry for it. So I'm kind of playing it by ear. And I think once that drive and determination, and I guess, that will starts to diminish, that'll be the time where I'll comfortably say, 'Alright, this has run its course.'"
As for what Ricciardo plans to do after, that is still up in the air. He has a few ideas, but he also knows that he will want to just relax for a bit.
"I think when I immediately stop, you know, those kind of six months immediately after would be, I would say, quite low key," Ricciardo said. "I think I'd enjoy just not being at airports too much. I have always wanted to do a road trip in the States and just see a little bit more of it. So maybe I get some buddies and do maybe like a few months of just adventures."
Ricciardo won't rule out a shot at NASCAR just to see what it is like
Ricciardo is a self-professed huge fan of NASCAR.
Before the 2021 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, he took one of Dale Earnhardt's stock cars for a spin around the track. For a guy who always has the biggest smile in the room, it somehow seemed to be even bigger behind the much larger wheel of a NASCAR race car.
So, would Ricciardo give NASCAR a shot after his F1 days are over? Maybe, but probably not full-time at the highest level.
"I'd like to drive an oval just to kind of see what it's like, but I probably wouldn't want to compete because I just, I don't think I'll be competitive and wouldn't probably do it justice," Ricciardo told Insider. "A road course or something would be fun, but I'll walk before I can run. It's such a different discipline that I'll want to do some testing and kind of see where I'm at. And let's say if that all went well and I had good confidence in the car, then, you know, I might put my hand up, but I wouldn't jump to conclusions. It's a very different beast."
Ricciardo did explain how much it would mean to him.
"We'll leave [the door] open," Ricciardo said. "I don't wanna close anything for sure, but I'm definitely a fan ... When I got into F1, [Michael] Schumacher was still on the grid, [Kimi] Räikkönen, and these guys I watch for so many years. It was quite surreal for me. So I think to go into NASCAR, even if it was just a one-off race and to, let's say, to rub shoulders with so many guys that I've watched since I was a kid, I think that would also be a, a similar feeling."
One thing that does work in Ricciardo's favor is the increased number of road races on the NASCAR schedule, the use of COTA in Austin, and rumors of a future street race.
"The road races certainly, I think, would suit me better," Ricciardo said. "You know, I don't have any expertise at all on ovals, and obviously, they've been doing it their whole life."