Daniel Ricciardo pops up in Austin as the US Grand Prix rolls into town
The cowboy hat made a predictably swift return. Daniel Ricciardo has been spotted in Austin ahead of the United States Grand Prix, the retired eight-time grand prix winner bouncing into town for an appearance tied to his lifestyle brand, Enchante, and triggering a familiar ripple of Texas-sized goodwill.
Ricciardo hasn’t raced since his final outing with Red Bull’s sister squad, Racing Bulls, in Singapore more than a year ago, before Liam Lawson stepped in for the closing stretch of the season. Since then, he’s kept a low profile around the paddock. He quietly swung through Melbourne for the season opener in March, then all but vanished—until last month, when he formally called time on his Formula 1 career and surfaced with a new hat to wear: global racing ambassador for Ford.
That bit matters. Ford is due to enter F1 in 2026 as Red Bull’s power unit partner, pairing with the team’s in-house Red Bull Powertrains operation under the next set of powertrain regulations. Ricciardo is expected to be a prominent face in that push, particularly in the States, where his easy charm still plays like a greatest hits record. Austin, naturally, is one of his biggest stages.
On Thursday he was pictured at an Enchante pop-up in the city, smiling for photos and sorting through merch as fans filtered through. Whether he’ll show up in the paddock at Circuit of the Americas remains to be seen, but don’t be shocked if he’s visible somewhere between Turn 1 and the main straight before Sunday. This is the track where he bagged two podiums for Red Bull in 2014 and 2016, and where the grandstands have never needed a second invitation to cheer him on.
Ricciardo’s year out has been deliberately quiet, veering toward the reflective. Appearing at a conference on Australia’s Gold Coast in August, he spoke about stepping off the hamster wheel and figuring out who he is without the visor. The beard, he joked, was staying—comfort on his face while he took stock. There was hiking. A trip to Alaska. Time with family and friends. And the admission that the ruthless, self-focused drive that gets you to the top sometimes needs to be unlearned.
All of it tracks with what we’ve seen this week: a driver still very much adored, now free to pick his moments. The “Honey Badger” brand remains potent. In a city that long ago decided he’s an honorary local—there’s something about the grin, the drawl he picks up by Sunday, the way he once embraced the full cowboy cosplay—Ricciardo doesn’t have to try very hard to be the main character for 10 minutes at a pop-up.
What does it mean for the weekend? Not much, competitively. But atmospherically? Plenty. COTA weekends are equal parts racing and festival, and Ricciardo’s presence tilts the needle toward the latter. It also neatly underscores Ford’s looming return with Red Bull in 2026, a storyline that will keep gaining volume as the new power unit era closes in.
For now, though, it’s simple. The US Grand Prix is back, Austin’s in full voice, and one of the sport’s most recognisable faces is in town—no car, no pressure, just a cowboy hat and an easy hello. Sometimes that’s exactly what a race week needs.
