Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has revealed that Daniel Ricciardo is “interested” in taking up an off-track role within the team after retiring from F1.
Ricciardo’s career as a driver appears to be over, with RB announcing earlier this week that Liam Lawson would take over his spot with six races remaining.
The New Zealander, who replaced Ricciardo who missed five races last season, will have a chance to stake a claim for a race seat in 2025 during the remaining events.
But Marko, who oversaw Ricciardo’s rise through the Red Bull junior ranks, admitted the team would welcome the Australian to remain in the squad.
“We have had discussions and it’s clear that we are interested,” Marko told Motorsport Total. “He’s one of the most popular F1 drivers, especially in the United States.
“But he wants time to think about his future as a whole. I don’t think he will compete in any other racing category.
“And on the other hand, if he’s not actively racing anymore, does he still want these PR efforts?
“Ricardo also has a lot of money in the bank, so you could say it’s a life decision for him how he shapes his future life.”
Daniel Ricciardo’s relationship with Red Bull goes back 14 years, with the team helping him win his first F1 victory in Canada 10 years ago.
Ricciardo has no intention of ‘starting his career over’ as Red Bull’s reserve driver
Ricciardo himself has already hinted that his future involvement with Red Bull will not include reserve driver, with him taking up the role last year in the hopes of leading to a race seat again, and from 2014 to 2018. He was on the team. .
“Obviously last year it made a lot of sense to keep one foot in the door and the whole picture was to try to get back to Red Bull,” he said.
โIf I were to do it again… I don’t think I would do it again in my career. I’m also 35 years old and I’ve been showing my pace all these years and it’s obviously difficult to show it every weekend. It’s clear that it is.
“It was definitely easier for me at 25 than it was at 35, but maybe there’s just more competition.
“Once upon a time, I was happy to do it and it was so much fun. And I want to leave this sport with good memories and situations where you’re just having a hard time like getting eliminated in Q1 every weekend. I don’t want to fall into that. That’s obviously not fun.”