David Coulthard has told Daniel Ricciardo that to remain an F1 “celebrity”, he must kept himself relevant, potentially with TV work.
After his axe by Racing Bulls after the 2024 Singapore GP, Ricciardo has maintained a low profile and has not been seen at a grand prix since, but has hinted that his career in F1 is over.
Despite this, the Australian still retains a healthy following of fans around the world, in part aided by his openness towards the producers of Drive to Survive in the early seasons.
The eight-time grand prix winner has not signalled any intention to move into media work, but 13-time winner Coulthard, who moved straight into punditry in 2009 after his 2008 retirement, believes it is a route Ricciardo should follow.
“If he has still got racing on his mind, then he’s got to find a race championship, but there is no question he would be an asset for a Formula 1 team in terms of personality,” Coulthard told the Driver podcast.
“But this isn’t a personality contest, it is a stopwatch contest, and you’ve got to acknowledge that McLaren didn’t work out and then the comeback with VCARB didn’t work out either.
“But he has been gifted a period of time in F1 where the popularity and growth has been such that he’s a celebrity beyond being a driver.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he has already worked out that working within the media space will help keep that celebrity.
“What I would recommend is that he doesn’t think he can sort of take a year out and still be as interesting.”
