Daniel Ricciardo receives ‘whatever it takes’ offer to block F1 return route – report

Since Daniel Ricciardo’s untimely release from VCARB, Red Bull’s junior team in Formula 1, rumors of swirled regarding what the Australian’s next step should be. 

While some pundits have pinpointed Cadillac’s incoming F1 team as a viable option, a new challenger has emerged: Toyota.

Toyota wants Daniel Ricciardo for Supercars series

Heading into 2026, massive changes are afoot for the motorsport world.

In Formula 1, a brand-new set of regulations are set to be introduced — and with it will come the entrance of an 11th team: Cadillac. The American manufacturer had initially begun courting the series via Andretti Global, but the marque will be striking out under the TWG Global name after the department of Michael Andretti.

The 2026 racing season will also see Toyota introduce its Supra to the Australian Supercars series.

And Daniel Ricciardo has emerged as a favorite for both operations.

More on Daniel Ricciardo and Cadillac:

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👉 Five reasons why Cadillac F1 should sign Daniel Ricciardo

According to an exclusive from Race.news, Toyota Motor Corporation chairman Akio Toyoda is keen on signing Ricciardo, not just for his driving skills, “but as someone who can drag in fans in huge numbers because of his natural charisma.”

The source that spoke to Race.news claimed that Toyota is interested in signing Ricciardo to both Supercars and to NASCAR — two stock-car racing series in which Toyota will participate.

And the company is allegedly willing to do whatever it takes to bring Ricciardo onboard, with the source claiming that the pursuit is “almost a blank cheque operation.” Or, to put it more simply, Toyota will shell out significant sums of money to bring Ricciardo onboard.

The source added, “[Toyoda] can’t see any downside with having [Ricciardo] as the face of Gazoo Racing, which really is his pet project.”

Toyoda himself is an avid racer, competing in events like the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring under the name ‘Morizo.’

At the moment, this all lies in the realm of speculation. It is unclear if Toyota has even reached out to Ricciardo or his management team,  but the Aussie driver is a noted fan of NASCAR and has expressed his interest in contesting events at Bathurst.

Read next: Cadillac F1: Everything you need to know about the new 11th team