Supercars boss makes huge call on signing Daniel Ricciardo ahead of Bathurst 1000

Since being axed by Red Bull last month, Daniel Ricciardo has kept a low profile. But ahead of this weekend's Bathurst 1000, Supercars officials have put their feelers out to see if the 35-year-old wants the chance to try and conquer Mount Panorama.

The charismatic driver's F1 career ended last month after 14 years of driving for Red Bull, HRT, McLaren and Renault. The Aussie became one of the most popular drivers in F1 over the years but two seasons of poor results saw him shown the door, with Ricciardo replaced by young Kiwi Liam Lawson for the remainder of the 2024 F1 season.

But the Aussie icon may not be out of a seat for too long, with Supercars chief Shane Howard keen on bringing him over to compete in the Supercars championship or even make a special appearance solely for the Bathurst 1000. While most of the speculation around the 35-year-old's future has linked him to a potential move to IndyCar or NASCAR in the US, Howard believes a spot on the Supercars grid may tempt him to come home to Australia.

The Perth-born driver is no stranger to Supercars having driven a Triple Eight Commodore at Sandown in 2016, and a Nissan Altima at Calder Park in 2019. And in 2021 Ricciardo revealed he would love the chance to compete for the title of King of the Mountain at the iconic Mount Panorama circuit. "I need to drive a Supercar around Bathurst," Ricciardo said at the time.

And now Howard wants to make Ricciardo's wish come true. "If Daniel's listening, we want you to race here," Howard said on Thursday.

"Wouldn't that be fantastic? To have someone of Daniel Ricciardo's quality as a driver. He's got an enormous personality. To have him in one of our cars would be very special. We've got an open invite to Daniel."

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Speaking to News Corp at Monday's Bathurst 1000 launch, Howard noted Ricciardo would be an "absolutely massive" coup. And the Supercars boss has big plans for Ricciardo if he is to make the switch.

While a Bathurst 1000 start is on the cards, Howard wants the motorsport megastar in a Supercar when the new street circuit in Perth debuts in 2026.

"I think everyone would welcome Daniel with open arms, absolutely," Howard said. "Would we like to see Daniel Ricciardo in a Supercar? 100 per cent.

"Just imagine if he could be in one of our cars and race in a new street race in Perth, that would be something special, wouldn’t it? It would be absolutely massive.

"He is such an incredible driver and such an incredible personality and people just absolutely love him. Imagine him racing at Bathurst, wow. That would be very cool indeed."

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But Ricciardo has yet to confirm his next move and Howard says when the time is right he will try to work out a deal with the Aussie motorsport icon. "At an appropriate time, we would reach out to Daniel and his management. Obviously, he has got a lot going on and we respect that," Howard said.

"Blake Friend in his management team used to work for us (at Supercars). At the right time, we would reach out, but we would certainly like to have him in one of our cars, 100 per cent we would."

with AAP