has been seen sporting a baseball cap emblazoned with the words: "I'm retired," in the aftermath of his departure from Formula 1.
The Aussie ace has been left without a seat for the second time since 2022, despite having a contract. It was that let him go a year earlier than planned that season, and now, after a less-than-successful stint attempting a comeback with the family, his career appears to be in limbo.
His hopes were to impress enough to reclaim his spot at Red Bull Racing. However, his performance did not suffice to retain his position at sister team , leading to .
Once leveraging his Red Bull connections to secure a grid return, Ricciardo's split from VCARB has put him in an uneasy predicament. With only one open slot at Sauber for 2025 and speculation that he isn't even considered for Audi's shortlist, the 35-year-old's F1 racing days seem to be drawing to a close.
Since the announcement, Ricciardo retreated from the public gaze, although social media has shown snaps of him kicking back with pals. Among them was a photo shared by ex-motocross star Adam Cianciarulo on Instagram, capturing his camaraderie with Ricciardo, who donned a cheeky cap declaring: "I'm retired, having a good time is my job."
Following a heartfelt photo dump on social media, Ricciardo has given fans a glimpse into his personal moments with the VCARB team, including a helmet exchange with fellow Aussie and shared laughs with .
Amidst speculation about his future during the Belgian Grand Prix in late July, Ricciardo told that he hadn't considered approaching other F1 teams, even if his Red Bull comeback faltered.
He explained: "I think when I came back into the sport and into the Red Bull family, for me the mentality the whole time was, 'This is it'. This is kind of my last chance or my second opportunity. I feel like if this doesn't work, maybe nowhere else will.
"I've kind of just gone for that all-in approach, also because I want it to work here. This does feel like home for me and the place where I belong the most.
"It's like tunnel vision, trying to make this work. Yes, it might not and maybe I won't have a seat, but I haven't really allowed myself to think that. Maybe that's risky, but I'm not really interested in having chats with other teams because I feel like that will derail me from where I'm trying to go. It's like, 'Red Bull or bust'. If I don't get promoted, then I want to still be here [at VCARB]."
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