Cadillac Dashes Hopes for Daniel Ricciardo’s Return to Formula 1
In an unexpected announcement, Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon has shot down speculation that Daniel Ricciardo might return to Formula 1 with the new American entry in 2025. Rumors had swirled since the announcement, feeding fantasy about the Popular Australian once again competing at the sport’s highest level.
Ricciardo has not raced an F1 car since losing his seat at Red Bull Racing to Liam Lawson late in the 2023 season. Although Red Bull adviser Christian Horner teased a future move, insiders now agree Ricciardo is pursuing opportunities outside F1.
Lowdon addressed the chatter bluntly, saying, If I need to convince someone, then it s the wrong person. You never need to convince a Formula 1 driver to jump in the car. With Ricciardo publicly indicating he is not chasing the grid, Cadillac has begun scouting fresh candidates to complete its roster for the series debut.
Cadillac maintains a preliminary shortlist of around ten names, but the team’s priority is still to sign at least one driver who has raced in Formula 1 before. Former race-winners Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez therefore headline the discussion, and both men have made it clear they would welcome a chance to return to the grid.
Bottas has actively sought opportunities since leaving Mercedes, and team CEO Dan Towriss has openly recognised the Finn’s talent and marketability. Pérez, for his part, endured a turbulent 2024 campaign yet remains attractive thanks to his race pedigree and lucrative sponsorship ties that could follow him to a new outfit.
Amid the speculation, Managing Director Laura Lowdon calls for calm, insisting that a carefully considered lineup is crucial for a competitive debut in Formula 1’s demanding environment. Enthusiasm within the paddock and the wider fan base continues to build as Cadillac finalises technical and operational groundwork alongside its driver selection.
With only a short window until winter testing in early 2025, the clock is ticking, and observers expect official signings within weeks. In the meantime, every rumour fuels debate, keeps the team’s brand in the spotlight, and adds a layer of drama that illustrates just how fiercely Cadillac ambitions to carve out a frontrunning identity.
Listeners can expect timely updates on Cadillac’s progress in Formula 1 and on the evolving driver-selection story as the global racing community prepares for this promising new chapter.
STATISTICS
Daniel Joseph Ricciardo AM (/rɪˈkɑːrdoʊ/ ⓘ RIK-ar-DOH, Italian: ; born 1 July 1989) is an Australian racing driver, who most recently competed in Formula One from 2011 to 2024. He won the British Formula Three Championship in 2009. After Mark Webber announced his retirement from Formula One, Ricciardo was confirmed as his replacement at Infiniti Red Bull Racing for 2014. In his first season with Red Bull, Ricciardo finished third in the championship with his first three Formula One wins, in Canada, Hungary, and Belgium. His father was born in Ficarra, Sicily and his mother’s family comes from Calabria. Born in Perth, Western Australia, Ricciardo started karting at the age of nine, as a member of the Tiger Kart Club (TKC) and entered numerous karting events. In 2005, he entered the Western Australian Formula Ford championship driving a 15-year-old Van Diemen, finishing eighth by season’s end. Towards the end of the season Ricciardo took a leased 13-year-old Van Diemen across to Sandown Raceway in Melbourne to compete at the national Formula Ford series but his ageing car was uncompetitive as he finished sixteenth, seventeenth and retired during the weekend’s three races. The following year, however, he won a scholarship into the Formula BMW Asian championship with Eurasia Motorsport. During his début season, Ricciardo took two victories (both at Bira) and also achieved a pole position at Zhuhai. He finished third in the Drivers’ Championship with 231 points, 59 points behind the champion Earl Bamber. In August that year, he was given an outing with Motaworld Racing to race one of their Formula BMW cars at the eighth meeting of the British championship. Despite retiring from the first race, Ricciardo recovered to finish eighth in the second race and took three championship points in his only entry in the British championship. At the end of the year, he entered the Formula BMW World Final with Fortec Motorsport where he finished in fifth position, fourteen seconds off winner Christian Vietoris. It was announced on 3 August 2018, that Ricciardo signed a two-year contract to drive for Renault Sport Formula One Team. Current Season: 8 podium finishes, 3 race wins, 2 pole positions. Championship standings: 2nd place with 285 points. Best lap times: Sector records at 4 circuits. Career wins: 25 victories from 180 starts. Fastest lap awards: 12 career fastest laps. Team performance: Leading constructor’s championship.