F1’s favorite Honey Badger might not be able to flash his smile around the paddocks for much longer. Daniel Ricciardo is standing at the brink of retirement as the number of debates on his career has reached an all-time high. The Australian is currently clinging on to his seat at the Racing Bulls which he inherited last year. Even though he was acting as a Red Bull reserve driver at that time, the team’s Chief Advisor Helmut Marko sacked Nyck deVries citing performance issues, and replaced the Dutchman with Ricciardo. But Danny Ricc’s VCARB contract will run out at the end of the current 2025 season.

Till now, Red Bull has made no move to extend Daniel’s deal with its sister team. On the other hand, there is Liam Lawson, who substituted for the #3 racer at 5 Grands Prix last year, who is aiming for an F1 entry. Lawson’s talent was on full display when he scored points for the Racing Bulls at the Singapore GP last year. Naturally, none of the teams will want to lose the New Zealander; but Red Bull’s contract with Lawson states that if they fail to offer him an F1 seat by September, he will be able to act as a free agent and approach other F1 squads for a contract. So, Helmut Marko has revealed that he will announce a decision regarding Lawson very soon.

Marko’s decision regarding Lawson can very well be a death sentence for Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 career. This is because the ex-F2 podium holder will probably get the VCARB seat, leaving Ricciardo out of a job once again for the 2025 season. Thus, speaking on the Honey Badger’s diminished chances of staying in F1 next year, F1 analyst Tom Coronel said to Formule1, “He didn’t succeed at McLaren, he didn’t succeed at AlphaTauri [now called VCARB], and he will never succeed again. Then I think: be honest with yourself.”

However, according to Coronel, even if Daniel’s F1 game is over, he can still find success in another job. He noted, “[Ricciardo] is an ideal co-commentator or analyst for motorsport. He is funny, has flair and can handle everything well. Go ahead and do that, but stop with Formula 1.” But does Daniel Ricciardo accept the fact that the time is ripe for his retirement from F1 now?

Daniel Ricciardo claims he is “not ready” to walk out of F1

Way back in time, Daniel Ricciardo had entered Formula 1 like a phenomenon during the 2012 season. With Red Bull’s backing, he looked all set to succeed Sebastian Vettel as the Austrian outfit’s next World Champion. However, that never worked out for the Australian. Now, 12 years have gone by and Ricciardo is not thriving in F1 like he used to anymore. So, he admits to having thought about walking out of the pinnacle of motorsports, explaining, “I still feel so hungry and motivated, so of course I would be sad [about retirement], because I feel like I’ve still got more to give.“

Till 2021, Daniel was riding on the highs of his F1 career as he signed with McLaren that year. But his dreams crumbled when the papaya army chose to prematurely terminate his contract to take up Oscar Piastri instead. But Ricciardo still wants to be grateful for everything he achieved in F1, as he claimed, “Look, I’m grateful that I had the time I had, and I was able to drive a car that won races. I’ve had a more than 10-year career in a sport I know many can only dream of. I would probably go to bed with that thought. But inside, I feel like I’m not ready.”

While Daniel Ricciardo still cannot accept that the 2024 season might be his last in F1 as a regular driver, there remains a sliver of hope for him. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez has not been particularly impressive with his scores recently. Given Daniel’s longtime association with RBR, do you think the Honey Badger can land Perez’s seat next year? Share in the comments below.