AUSTRALIAN Formula 1 superstar Daniel Ricciardo is set to be at the centre of a Red Bull Ford crossover involving Supercars juggernaut Triple Eight.
V8 Sleuth understands the eight-time grands prix winner will drive with Supercars championship leader Broc Feeney at a private event in the lead-up to this week’s F1 Australian Grand Prix.
It comes as part of an anticipated bigger tie-up between Ford Racing and Red Bull Ampol Racing at Albert Park, exact details of which are being closely guarded.
Triple Eight has long maintained an F1 connection through co-naming rights sponsor Red Bull, but both teams’ moves to partner with Ford from 2026 now has substantially deepened that alliance.
That has already been showcased by Max Verstappen’s recent drive of a Red Bull-liveried Gen3 Mustang. Feeney and teammate Will Brown also were granted the chance to wheel a Red Bull F1 car in December at The Bend.
In the direct aftermath of the Sydney 500, Triple Eight commercial manager Tom Wilson hinted at a bold activation for Melbourne.
Triple Eight is known to have readied its spare Supercar – i.e. the Gen3 Mustang it sent to the United States for off-season wind tunnel testing – to be deployed at Albert Park.
Seven-time champion and Triple Eight managing director Jamie Whincup in fact did the honours in officially shaking down the car last week at Queensland Raceway.
Ricciardo last year became a Ford Racing global ambassador.
The 36-year-old has previously sampled a Gen2 Supercar, hopping behind the wheel of Rick Kelly’s Nissan Altima in 2019, and a decade ago drove Triple Eight’s ‘Sandman’ wagon.
All this comes amid McLaren F1 ace Oscar Piastri’s expected drive of Cam Waters’ Monster Mustang today at Calder.
Daniel Ricciardo and Rick Kelly in 2019. Pic: Supplied