Daniel Ricciardo has ruled out joining the Cadillac F1 project for certain, with the Australian simultaneously also appearing to put an end to his F1 career altogether.
The 35-year-old was seen claiming he is "done" in a fan interaction caught on camera, which was later posted on social media.
When asked "No Cadillac?", he immediately responded: "Nah, I'm done", whilst gesturing with his hand and showing off his signature smile.
It was already believed the eight-time grand prix winner was not interested in joining the American project, after it was finally backed by F1 over the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend, having initially been rejected when in its former Andretti guise.
However, Ricciardo's latest remarks spell a definitive end to an F1 career that had already been brought to a sudden and sad stop at the Singapore Grand Prix last season.
Having joined RB - AlphaTauri at the time - mid-way through 2023 to replace fired Nyck de Vries, the hope was that he could prove himself again after his torrid McLaren tenure, with a view to taking over Sergio Perez's Red Bull seat, if required.
That did not come to fruition, as Yuki Tsunoda out-classed him in the season or so they spent together as team-mates, something that ultimately led to Ricciardo being sidelined for Liam Lawson after the weekend at the Marina Bay Circuit.
With Perez having struggled for much of the 2024 campaign, it is now the two remaining RB drivers who are vying to partner Max Verstappen at the Milton Keynes squad next season, underlining how close the popular Australian came to a Red Bull return.
Ricciardo, meanwhile, appears to be enjoying his time away from motorsport, sharing posts of his travels and down time on social media.
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