Endurance, IndyCar, NASCAR… Our steering wheel proposals for Ricciardo in 2025

Asked to give up his place to Liam Lawson for the last six Grands Prix of the 2024 season, Daniel Ricciardo has little chance of making it onto the grid for the World Championship Formula 1 in 2025. And even to stay in the paddock, since the Australian himself has hinted that he is not interested in a reserve position. So where could he bounce back?

Following the Hypercar's tailwinds in WEC

The most popular motorsport discipline at the moment, outside of Formula 1, isEndurance. In particular, the FIA ​​Hypercar category WEC. With a plethora of prestigious manufacturers, it has become a prime position for a driver and many former Formula 1 drivers are already there. Among the most recent, Antonio Giovinazzi (Ferrari), Nyck de Vries (Toyota) Or Mick Schumacher (Alpine) have found refuge there, but the list is long: Sébastien Buemi, Kamui Kobayashi, Brendon Hartley (Toyota), Jenson Button, Will Stevens (Hertz Team JOTA), Daniil Kvyat (Lamborghini), Robert Kubica (AF Corse), Jean-Eric Vergne, Paul di Resta and Stoffel Vandoorne (Peugeot ) have all driven in Formula 1.

Ricciardo could also take a leaf out of his compatriot Mark Webber's book, who contested three full seasons of the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship with Porsche after losing his F1 seat at Red Bull for the benefit of… Ricciardo. If the current manager ofOscar piastri never hung the 24 Hours of Le Mans To his credit, he won the LM P1 world title in 2015, partnering Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley. The Perth (Australia) native also attended the 6 Bahrain 2016 Hours as a spectator, for what was Mark Webber's last race before his retirement.

The Hypercar could be a good option to bounce back in 2025. If it seems difficult to find him a regular driver in one of the cars of one of the manufacturers that occupy the first three places in the championship, namely Porsche, Ferrari and Toyota, others could be interested in his services. A good door to go to present his CV would be that ofAston Martin. The English brand will enter the WEC Hypercar category in 2025 with two examples of an LMH version of its Valkyrie. In 2017, the Honey Badger had also expressed the wish to one day acquire the hypercar from the Gaydon firm to add it to his collection. It would be a great opportunity.

IndyCar for its love of the USA

Given Daniel Ricciardo's particular attraction to the United States and American-style motor racing, theIndyCar could also be an interesting landing spot for the Australian. However, Ricciardo admitted in the Singapore paddock that American-style single-seater racing is causing him some concern, especially on oval tracks:

« IndyCar still scares me. I thought about it a while ago, when I knew I wasn’t going to drive in F1 in 2023, but I don’t know. I know I’m still a competitor. I know I still have a lot of determination in me, but maybe I could satisfy it by doing something else. »

While ovals remain a sticking point for the Perth native, he could decide to explore IndyCar via road and street circuit racing, as Romain Grosjean in 2021. The French driver could also be a teammate of choice for Ricciardo, given that a second season at Juncos Hollinger Racing seems more than likely for the former Lotus driver, who does not yet know the name of his teammate.

A drive with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing could also be a good option, the American team being far from competitive on ovals, but having a package that is rather in good shape on road and urban circuits. Christian Lundgaard, leaving for Arrow McLaren, had proven this in particular by winning the Toronto event in 2023. An arrival at Dale Coyne would certainly condemn Ricciardo to the back of the pack, while the second PREMA seat is officially vacant for the moment, but it should go to Robert Shwartzman.

NASCAR to follow in Dale Earnhardt's footsteps

Big fan of NASCAR, Ricciardo could finally be tempted by one or two stints in the most popular championship across the Atlantic. The one who chose the number 3 in Formula 1 in tribute to the legendary Dale Earnhardt (seven-time Cup Series champion), who died following an accident on the last lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001, to discover the championship via Trackhouse Racing's PROJECT91. This project, initiated by Justin Marks, invites international drivers to one or more rounds of the championship, as was the case with Kimi Räikkönen at Watkins Glen in 2022 and Austin in 2023, while Shane van Gisbergen managed to win at the wheel of the Chevrolet No. 91 in his first attempt in NASCAR, in Chicago last year.

Finally, let's mention Supercars. The flagship discipline of Australian motorsport would benefit from a huge publicity boost to see one of his country's star drivers come to contest even just one race in its calendar. Ricciardo himself recently made a nod to this subject, notably to drive on the legendary Bathurst circuit: " If a V8 team asks me if I want to do a few laps at Bathurst, without pressure, to experience it, then I would accept without hesitation. "The message got through.

"Danieul has a great opportunity for you, did you not know Rally Championchips" pic.twitter.com/ZhQI6KXZVK

— Burgrid⑯ (@Burgrid16) September 26, 2024

With Michaël Duforest

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