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F1 insider Kym Illman firmly squashed rumors of Daniel Ricciardo's return to the sport in 2026 with Cadillac. Illman claimed that he has enough knowledge to confidently say that Ricciardo will not be back in 2026.
Ricciardo, a 13-year F1 veteran, was fired by Red Bull's sister team, Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, in 2024. After grabbing 12 points in 18 races, the Australian driver was replaced by Liam Lawson after the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix.
Moreover, he failed to secure a seat for the 2025 season and remains on sabbatical. However, speculations around his potential return in 2026 have been swirling since last winter break.
He was reportedly in talks with Cadillac, the 11th team scheduled to debut on the grid in 2026. The General Motors-backed team is yet to confirm their drivers' lineup for the upcoming season, leading to a series of rumors.
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However, F1 insider Kym Illman has strongly denied any possibility of Daniel Ricciardo's return in 2026. Talking to GP Fans, he was asked if he saw the Australian driver back on the grid with Cadillac. To this, he replied (via GP Fans Global's Instagram):
"No! Not in a fit. Absolutely not. I know stuff. He won't be back."
Ricciardo previously denied the rumors himself. When a fan asked him about his future return with Cadillac, the driver said:
"I'm done."
According to other reports, another ex-Red Bull driver, Sergio Perez, is leading the race to grab a Cadillac seat. He even attended the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, where the 11th team hosted an event to unveil their vision for the debut season.
Apart from Perez, Mick Schumacher, Colton Herta, Valtteri Bottas, Jack Crawford, and Zhou Guanyu are also in the mix to grab a seat at Cadillac, as per the Race.
Red Bull had earlier ruled out Daniel Ricciardo's return
After sacking Daniel Ricciardo from VCARB in 2024, Red Bull replaced him with Liam Lawson for the rest of the season. However, Lawson was promoted to Red Bull at the beginning of the 2025 season (later demoted after two races), thus vacating his seat at the Racing Bulls.
However, the team's senior advisor, Helmut Marko, ruled out Ricciardo's return to the Racing Bulls. Talking to Motorsport, he said (via Racing365):
"No, that was never considered. Daniel did his last race [in the 2024 Singapore GP] and has stayed away from Formula 1 since then. He was there briefly in Australia, but I think he was gone again on Thursday. This was never an issue."
Eventually, Red Bull appointed junior academy driver Isack Hadjar as the second Racing Bulls driver for 2025. Daniel Ricciardo, meanwhile, is enjoying his time away from Formula 1.
