Ricciardo leans into Ford future as Enchanté tie-up lands ahead of Detroit launch
A few months after calling time on his Formula 1 career, Daniel Ricciardo is already back in the thick of it—just not with a visor down. The eight-time grand prix winner has tightened his link to Ford with a new Enchanté x Ford Racing collaboration, teased for January 15, 2026, as the Blue Oval prepares to pull the covers off Red Bull and Racing Bulls’ first liveries of the new Ford era in Detroit.
The move fits neatly with Ricciardo’s post-F1 pivot. He retired in September 2025 after 257 starts between 2011 and 2024, taking up a global racing ambassador role with Ford. It was a call that surprised some, but it felt right for a driver whose charm always matched his speed—those seven Red Bull wins between 2014 and 2018 made him a star, and that lone McLaren victory at Monza cemented the fan favourite tag for good.
Now comes the lifestyle play. Ricciardo’s Enchanté label is set to team up with Ford Racing, with the Australian outlining the why in a joint social post that sounded very him: “For me, racing was always about having fun. It made me happy and created memories that will last a lifetime. That’s why I love Ford. Some of my favourite memories are road tripping behind the wheel of my Raptor… From F1 to Dakar and from Le Mans to Bathurst, Ford’s passion for motorsports is very apparent. But what excites me most is how they continue to find ways of having fun.” The teaser signed off with: “Enchanté x Ford Racing. 1.15.26.”
That date matters. Detroit will host a Ford-branded season launch on Thursday where Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls are set to unveil their 2026 looks—marking the start of the Red Bull-Ford technical partnership that arrives with the new power unit rules. Ricciardo, 36, is expected to be on hand alongside a cast including Max Verstappen, Isack Hadjar, Liam Lawson and rising talent Arvid Lindblad. Even in retirement, the Honey Badger’s orbit keeps intersecting with Milton Keynes.
There’s more to this than merch. Ford’s 2026 entry with Red Bull Powertrains means the company is replanting its motorsport flag in F1, and it wants recognizable faces to tell that story. Ricciardo’s value here is obvious: he still moves the needle, still draws a crowd, and he speaks car-culture fluently. He’s the bridge between the sport that made him famous and the wider world Ford wants to reach, from Baja to Bathurst and everything in between.
And if you’re wondering whether the off-road bug has bitten: it has, at least a little. Ricciardo sampled the Ford Raptor T1+ at the Ford Raptor Rally late last year and didn’t hide the fact he’s tempted by the Baja 1000 down the line. “The itch for Baja is there, but I’ve got a lot to learn,” he said. “A few more of these events and then ask me next year and we’ll see where I’m at!” It’s peak Daniel—curious, competitive, but honest about the homework required.
This latest beat in the story also ties a bow on the end of his F1 chapter. Ricciardo’s final race came with Red Bull’s sister team at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, before Liam Lawson took the seat for the last six rounds. By the end of 2025, Ricciardo chose to step off the merry-go-round rather than claw for one more shot in an increasingly younger, sharper field. In doing so, he preserved what mattered: the joy. “For me, it’s all about having fun,” he added. “I’m taking the same approach with this new role. It’s a completely fresh start.”
For Red Bull and Ford, Detroit is the opening note of a new era. For Ricciardo, it’s proof there’s life after lap times—and that his presence, even out of the cockpit, still commands a place on the big stage. Don’t call it a comeback; call it the next lap. And it starts Thursday.
