Daniel Ricciardo confirms his retirement from Formula 1, moving into a global ambassador role with Ford as the brand expands its motorsport presence.
The eight-time Grand Prix winner has closed the book on racing. His future is built around Ford. Around lifestyle projects. Around the commercial reach that makes him one of the most marketable names in motorsport.
I am not going to give away all my secrets on how I reach these calls, but this one was circled the moment Ricciardo teased Ford. The frenzy that followed told its own story. Everyone else chased comeback talk and fantasy seat swaps. I said brand ambassador. And on Friday it landed. Daniel Ricciardo is the new Global Ambassador for Ford Racing.
No comeback. No hidden race deal. When Ricciardo said his “racing days are behind me,” he was spelling it out. He is retired.
Beyond the stopwatch
Ricciardo’s Formula 1 career ended in Singapore 2024. Over 15 seasons he made more than 250 starts, claimed 8 wins, 32 podiums and banked over 1,300 points.
Since then his life has slowed down. Hiking trips in Alaska. Family dinners that don’t finish with a red-eye flight. Gym sessions without a stopwatch. Even time in the kitchen. He called it “a bit of self-exploration.” It shows.
The competitive fire never went out. It just moved. Into new projects. Into brands. Into lanes that connect him with fans in different ways.
Why Ford, why now
This isn’t Ricciardo’s first time with the blue oval. In his Red Bull reserve spell he fronted Ford PR campaigns, helping launch projects and representing the brand at events. That history set the tone.
The new deal builds on it. Ford Racing is the company’s high-performance arm, with the Raptor brand front and centre. Ricciardo will represent it worldwide.
In his post he joked about kicking back while still chasing thrills. He pointed to the Ford Raptor as the machine that delivers it, before confirming he was proud to step into the ambassador role.
On Ford’s site he explained it further. Racing might be finished, but his passion for cars isn’t. Becoming a global ambassador, he said, is the perfect way to carry that passion forward.
A proven commercial player
Just look at the frenzy his tease caused. One post and the internet lost its head. Comeback theories. Seat swap rumours. Endless noise. Proof, again, that Ricciardo’s value is bigger than lap times.
He reaches an audience far beyond the hardcore. That is why brands keep lining up.
For Ford, the timing makes sense. The company is counting down to its Formula 1 return with Red Bull in 2026. At the same time it is leaning into its wider motorsport story. Le Mans. Dakar. Bathurst. Ricciardo’s name adds personality to that history and visibility to its future.
He put it neatly. Few manufacturers have been around this long, in so many different series. From F1 to Dakar, from Le Mans to Bathurst, Ford has always been there. Ricciardo said what he has seen already makes him excited for what comes next.
What it shows
This isn’t a reinvention. It is the next step in a pattern that has become obvious. Karting. Fashion. Wine. Lifestyle. Now Ford Racing. Each move shows Ricciardo’s shift from driver into brand. Few pull it off this well.
I said it when he teased Ford. This was always going to be ambassador, not driver. And here it is. Another layer, built on a connection that began in those Red Bull reserve days.
Coffee Corner Motorsport and The Shed are where this story sat first. The Shed is my recording base, my hub, and it is fast becoming the most famous shed in Formula 1. For fans it is a dream. For the paddock it is becoming a nightmare, because the secrets keep slipping out here first. This is where the real stories start.
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