Former Red Bull and McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo has confirmed that he will attend the upcoming Indy 500, admitting \u201cit\u2019s really going to hit me hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ricciardo, the eight-time grand prix winner, has not competed since making his last F1 appearance for Racing Bulls at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
Daniel Ricciardo to attend 2026 Indy 500<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n The Perth-born star announced his retirement from motorsport last September before taking an ambassadorial role with Ford, Red Bull\u2019s new technical partner.<\/p>\n Ricciardo revealed this week that his lifestyle brand, Enchant\u00e9, will link up with IndyCar regular Conor Daly for the Indianapolis 500, which will be held on May 24.<\/p>\n And the 36-year-old has confirmed that he is set to attend the legendary race for the first time as a spectator.<\/p>\n What happened to Daniel Ricciardo?<\/p>\n What happened to Daniel Ricciardo? The compelling theories to explain his sharp F1 decline<\/a><\/p>\n Daniel Ricciardo: Defining the F1 legacy of the Honey Badger<\/a><\/p>\n Appearing on Daly\u2019s Speed Street podcast, Ricciardo said: \u201cWhat you\u2019ve told me about Indy and the 500, I\u2019ve probably never been more excited since I was a kid to go to a race and just be a fan of a race.<\/p>\n \u201cI think to experience it in the way you speak about it \u2013 and you\u2019ve done the European thing, you\u2019ve travelled the world racing \u2013 this sounds [like something else].<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s going to really hit me hard. I\u2019m excited. I\u2019m excited to be a fan.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, it\u2019s fun for our brand to do something, but to share you, the hometown hero, on the biggest race of the year, that\u2019s cool.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked what he is most excited about, Ricciardo replied: \u201cA lot.<\/p>\n \u201cI was in the F1 sphere bubble for so long and I got used to how intense the schedule was \u2013 the paddock, all of it \u2013 and that became normal.<\/p>\n \u201cBut now that I\u2019m outside of it I\u2019m like: \u2018Oh, that was as far from normal!\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cThe schedule was that down to the minute, so there\u2019s a curiosity with what a week looks like for you for the biggest race of the year.<\/p>\n \u201cSo the schedule, and your personal time compared to your \u2018on time\u2019, I\u2019m curious to see how that is and how laidback are the drivers, or how intense and switched on they are the whole weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cSo there\u2019s [stuff] like that from my past I\u2019m curious about.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the sheer size of the infield and the sound [also attract me to the Indy 500].<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s probably what I was drawn to most with racing, how cool race cars sounded, so very curious to hear what you sound like wide open and just seeing, coming into Turn 1, how scary that looks.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be glad that I don\u2019t have a suit or a helmet on!\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n