Veteran photojournalist Kym Illman recently reviewed the cars that F1 drivers rode to the British Grand Prix. Illman initially expected Daniel Ricciardo to arrive in a McLaren 720s. However, since the Australian driver did not arrive in this car, Illman revealed that it is because the 35-year-old sold his $310,000 customized vehicle.
Ricciardo received this McLaren car from the team after he won the 2021 Italian Grand Prix, a race in which his teammate Lando Norris finished second. Per TheSuperCarBlog, Ricciardo had listed his car for sale in June 2023 via McLaren New Forest in the UK.
At the time, the car had clocked a little over 6,700 miles but remained in pristine condition. Thus, the asking price of the $310,000 car was around the $272,000 mark. As of now, it remains unclear as to how much Ricciardo sold it for.
Since the 35-year-old is now a V-CARB driver, his linkage with a McLaren car might not have been ‘brand-appropriate.’ Thus, he has been visiting recent races in cars that come from another closely linked manufacturer.
In Silverstone, Ricciardo drove a Honda car, as the Japanese manufacturer remains the official engine provider for the team. The Aussie came to the paddock in a Honda CR-V.
Meanwhile, his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, drove a Civic Type-R. Moving to the 2026 regulations, Red Bull will begin its ties with Ford, and the cars driven by their racers could see a shift.
The effects of the forthcoming partnership are already there for all to see with a subtle shift. As revealed by Illman further in the video, both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez arrived at the Silverstone track in a Ford car.
Both drivers arrived in a Ford Mach E GT. Hence, it is possible that both Red Bull drivers paid homage to the forthcoming partnership between the two brands. A similar shift could also be witnessed with the V-CARB drivers as the Faenza-based outfit will also partner with Ford from 2026 onwards.