WORLD EXCLUSIVE: TOYODA WANTS RICCIARDO
A top-secret plan by the world’s largest car manufacturer could make Daniel Ricciardo the highest paid driver in Supercars history.
But he doesn’t even know about it.
A former senior Toyota executive, who still has strong ties within the current management team in Tokyo, believes the Japanese auto giant is prepared to make a 'whatever it takes' bid to lure the Aussie ex-F1 hero into a headline motorsport role in both Australia and the USA.
The report follows a 'behind closed doors' meeting in Japan that was chaired by Akio Toyoda, the chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation and the man responsible for injecting driving enjoyment into the company with cars like the GR Supra and backing motorsport involvement in Le Mans sports cars, the World Rally Championship, NASCAR and Supercars.
“I’ve been told that Toyoda-san can see his (Ricciardo) value, not just as a driver, but as someone who can drag in the fans in huge numbers because of his natural charisma,” the Toyota source told Race.news.
It would be a multi-million dollar offer that could see Ricciardo competing in both Supercars and NASCAR – or some of Toyota's other global motorsport programs.
Details of the potential offer are, admittedly, thin.
Yet, according to conversations between those in-the-know and our informant in Japan, the proposal to "get him" (Ricciardo) came directly from Akio Toyoda.
The edict from Toyoda, who competes under the pseudonym Morizo in a range of races including the classic Nurburgring 24-Hour, was directed to Gazoo Racing head honcho Tomoya Takahashi during a recent meeting of senior executives.
Toyoda can reportedly see a potential role for Ricciardo when Toyota enters Supercars with its GR Supra in 2026 and also with the recently re-branded Toyota Gazoo Racing involvement in NASCAR in the USA.
It is unknown if Toyota has even tabled an offer to Ricciardo or his management team, but apart from racing it is believed that the outgoing Aussie F1 superstar would also be employed as a worldwide ambassador for the the company and, in particular, its Gazoo Racing brand.
Toyota knows Ricciardo, recently ousted from RB on the grand prix grid, is a marketing gold mine.
His mega profile in Australia goes without saying, but it’s in the lucrative US market where his true value lies.
His infectious smile, Aussie sense of humour, and genuine nice-guy persona, easily make Ricciardo the best-known F1 driver in America. He’s long been a favoured guest on US late night TV talk shows where his cheeky sense of humour has won him countless fans.
His starring role in the Netflix series Drive to Survive was the catalyst for his rise to US stardom but it’s his personalty that has done the rest.
Other F1 stars such as Charles Leclerc, George Russell and even Max Verstappen could walk down New York’s Fifth Avenue with the kind of anonymity that may either perplex or delight them, but Ricciardo is a “can I get a selfie?” sure-fire hit.
This hasn’t gone unnoticed back at Toyota HQ in Japan – and could easily trigger a $10 million offer to Ricciardo.
“He (Toyoda) can’t see any downside with having him as the face of Gazoo Racing which really is his pet project," the Toyota source said.
“And, from what has been told to me, it’s almost a blank cheque operation to get him to say yes,” he added.
Quite how Ricciardo could or would slot into a Toyota Supra in the Supercars ranks creates questions that would need some creative thinking.
There will be a minimum of four GR Supras on the grid in 2026, but the chances of a rookie – even Ricciardo – tackling a full season is pure fantasy. Even if he would consider it.
Instead, it would be more likely – if Toyota snags him – that Ricciardo would get Wildcard starts through the sprint season before a high-profile start in a third car for one of the teams at the endurance races, particularly Bathurst.
This would allow Ricciardo to get “his feet wet” without the pressure of being a factor in anyone’s title ambitions.
It would also be likely that the funding for such a costly exercise would come directly from Japan, potentially with Gazoo Racing as the big name on the side.
No-one from Supercars has heard of the Ricciardo idea, either in the pitlane or in senior management, but it would become a top priority if it becomes a reality.
Supercars also fades in comparison with NASCAR, even if Ricciardo has shown no real interest in racing on oval tracks in the USA.
Toyota sold around 860,000 vehicles there last year, with the RAV4 coming in third on the sales charts ahead of the Camry at #8 and Corolla at #11, and is pushing the NASCAR connection to make the GR sub-brand a genuinely aspirational nameplate for younger buyers.
A smiling, media friendly, fan favourite like Ricciardo could be a key cog in Toyota’s plan.
It could also make financial sense for Ricciardo, as the likes of Kyle Busch, who plies his trade at Richard Childress Racing, reportedly scrapes by on just $20 million, with Denny Hamlin reportedly also on $20 million and a few others paid upwards of $15 million.
Toyota currently has three teams waving the Camry flag in the US as Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) fields four Camry-badged racers, 23XI has two and there are another two in the hands of the Legacy Motor Club team.
High achiever Hamlin may drive for the powerhouse JGR outfit, but he’s also a co-owner of the 23XI team where another of the owners is a tall cigar smoking dude called Michael Jordan who somehow managed to amass a $5.3 billion fortune for bouncing a basketball.
Despite the oval-track emphasis, NASCAR has road and street tracks which could appeal to Ricciardo, including the Chicago street race where Shane Van Gisbergen scored the historic smash-and-grab win that catapulted him into the big-time and a full-time Cup series campaign next year.