close
close

Daniel Ricciardo gets Cadillac twist with huge rival offer

Daniel Ricciardo gets Cadillac twist with huge rival offer

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

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

Toyota wants Daniel Ricciardo for the Supercars series

Heading into 2026, huge changes are in store for the motorsport world.

A completely new set of regulations will be introduced in Formula 1 – and with it the arrival of an eleventh team: Cadillac. The American manufacturer initially started sourcing the series through Andretti Global, but the brand will differentiate itself under the name TWG Global, after Michael Andretti’s division.

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

And Daniel Ricciardo has emerged as favorite for both operations.

More about Daniel Ricciardo and Cadillac:

👉 Cadillac F1: Five drivers we would like to see join the new American team

👉 Five reasons why Cadillac F1 should sign Daniel Ricciardo

According to an exclusive from Race.newsToyota Motor Corporation chairman Akio Toyoda is keen to sign Ricciardo not just for his driving skills, “but as someone who can bring in fans in large numbers because of his natural charisma.”

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

And the company is said to be willing to do whatever it takes to get Ricciardo on board, with the source claiming the pursuit is “almost a blank check operation”. Or, to put it more simply: Toyota will spend significant sums of money to bring Ricciardo on board.

The source added: “(Toyoda) doesn’t see any downside in having (Ricciardo) as the face of Gazoo Racing, which is really his pet project.”

Toyoda himself is an avid racer and participates in events such as the 24 Hours of NĂĽrburgring under the name ‘Morizo’.

At this point, this is all in the realm of speculation. It is unclear whether Toyota has contacted Ricciardo or his management team at all, but the Australian driver is a known fan of NASCAR and has expressed his interest in participating in events at Bathurst.

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