Only one half of this fantasy is actually interested.
Ricciardo, retired from Formula 1 since the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, has told fans he would be open to a one-off Le Mans 24 Hours with Verstappen in the other seat. Speaking on Formula 1’s Beyond the Grid podcast, the 37-year-old Australian floated the idea with a grin.
“I don’t want to put pressure on him, but obviously Max is a name that would be high on the list,” Ricciardo said. “I say give the people what they want.”
That is where the fantasy runs into reality. Verstappen has already set out his 2027 endurance plans, and Le Mans is not on the list.
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Verstappen’s answer in Baku
Asked about Le Mans at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in September, the four-time world champion was blunt.
“Le Mans, not. That’s not on my list for now,” Verstappen told reporters, per Speedcafe.
His calendar instead points toward the Nürburgring and Spa 24 Hours, both of which he can prepare for without colliding with his F1 commitments. He did leave the door ajar for later: “I know there is no clash, but it still needs to work out in my schedule, then I’ll do it.”
Why Ricciardo is drawn to the idea
The pull of endurance racing is, by Ricciardo’s own description, the opposite of what Formula 1 offered him. In F1 the garage next door is the first rival. At Le Mans the garage next door is the whole point.
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“To share a car with other drivers and to actually have real team-mates to share data and help out, I would just enjoy it,” he said on the podcast, as reported by Autosport.
Ricciardo and Verstappen were Red Bull teammates from 2016 to 2018, a partnership that turned increasingly spiky as the young Dutchman’s stock rose. That history is a large part of why even the mention of a reunion sent a jolt through social media.
Vettel also in the frame
Verstappen is not the only old Red Bull face in the conversation. When the podcast raised the possibility of a Sebastian Vettel pairing, Ricciardo was enthusiastic, according to RacingNews365.
“Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit. That’d be cool,” he said.
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For now, there is no team, no entry and no agreement. Ricciardo has stressed he would only accept a one-off if it felt right, rather than chasing what he called a “fairy tale ending”.
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