Daniel Ricciardo has strengthened his ties with Ford and Red Bull Racing as the team prepares to unveil its 2026 Formula 1 liveries.
After ending months of speculation regarding a return to racing last September, Ricciardo confirmed his new role as a global racing ambassador for Ford Racing.
In his role, the Perth native will serve as a key link between his old team and its new engine partner, with fans anticipating that he will be a familiar face in the Red Bull garage this year.
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Daniel Ricciardo reunited with former teammate Max Verstappen to celebrate 100 years of Ford cars. @redbullracing via Instagram
The partnership comes at a pivotal moment, as Red Bull Powertrains — in collaboration with Ford, marking its official return to F1 — has driven the team’s project to develop its own hybrid power unit for the new season’s technical regulations.
This new engine is set to supply both Red Bull and its sister team Racing Bulls throughout the 2026 campaign.
In a new video shared by Red Bull to celebrate the launch, Ricciardo reunited with his former teammate Max Verstappen.
As the four-time world champion battled Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad in a series of Ford cars spanning the past century, the pair was surprised by Ricciardo, who appeared with his signature smile to oversee the final challenge.
The collaboration comes ahead of the Red Bull and Racing Bulls livery launch at a joint Ford season-launch event on Friday morning (AEDT).
Ricciardo is expected to headline the event alongside Red Bull’s Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, as well as the Racing Bulls duo of Liam Lawson and Lindblad.
Ricciardo’s rollercoaster career in F1 came to an end at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix when he was replaced for the remainder of the season at RB (now known as Racing Bulls) in favour of New Zealand driver Liam Lawson.
His axing drew the curtain on a 14-year stint in the sport, which saw him secure eight grand prix victories and 32 podiums from his 257 race starts.
All but one of Ricciardo’s career victories were achieved during his initial tenure at Red Bull between 2014 and 2018.
Following his split with the Red Bull Racing program, Ricciardo has not raced anything competitively since.
Ricciardo also teased an upcoming collaboration between his lifestyle brand, Enchanté, and Ford Racing.
In a joint social media post between Enchanté and Ford Racing, Ricciardo reflected on his career, saying: “For me, racing was always about having fun. It made me happy and created memories that will last a lifetime.
“That’s why I love Ford. Some of my favourite memories are road tripping behind the wheel of my Raptor.
“From F1 to Dakar and from Le Mans to Bathurst, Ford’s passion for motorsports is very apparent. But what excites me most is how they continue to find ways of having fun.”
The post concluded by teasing an announcement on Thursday: “Enchanté x Ford Racing. 1.15.26.”
Ricciardo recently got behind the wheel of the Ford Raptor T1+ after making a guest appearance at the Ford Raptor Rally in October.
He also admitted he is tempted to tackle the famous Baja 1000 off-road event in the coming years.
“The itch for Baja is there, but I’ve got a lot to learn,” he said during the event.
Max Verstappen, Jeremiah Burton, Arvid Lindblad and Daniel Ricciardo pose in front of a V8 Supercar and a Ford Mustang GT3 during a Red Bull promosion in Las Vegas, Nevada. Red Bull Content Pool
“A few more of these events and then ask me next year, and we’ll see where I’m at.
“For me, it’s all about having fun. That’s always been my approach.
“In my racing career, I think people related to me because they saw how much joy I brought to it, and the competitive side was almost secondary.
“I just wanted to enjoy it. I’m taking the same approach with this new role. It’s a completely fresh start.”