Daniel Ricciardo makes rare public appearance after F1 retirement alongside Sky presenter

During the Brazil GP weekend, retired F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo joined Sky Sports F1's Natalie Pinkham at Brentford v Newcastle

Former Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo made a rare public appearance at a Premier League football match between Brentford and Newcastle with Sky Sports F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham during the Brazil Grand Prix weekend.

Pinkham, who was forced to sit out her presenting duties at Interlagos due to recent surgery, shared on social media: "Recruited a couple of newbees…. @brentfordfc….and stayed connected with Brazil today @thiago01. Great win."

The two have been friends for a long time, with the Australian driver being the godfather to Pinkham's son, Wilf.

“The little story behind that is that we couldn’t decide who to make godparents for our kids, right, and so my husband and I decided we would wait six months, and see who made the most effort with Wilf," she previously explained during an appearance on the Pitstop podcast. "Because sometimes you make godparents out of sort of legacy friends and then you regret it. Because you go, they don’t really care about the kid.”

“Without a shadow of a doubt, he made the most effort. He’d be like 'Can I come over?' and I’m like, 'Actually, I’m not there', [and he would say] 'I’m actually coming to see Wilf'. I promise you, the man is just, anything you think you know about Daniel and his kindness and his compassion, and obviously we all know that he’s an incredible racer and a great lad, a good laugh, but it’s the kindness, that I don’t think a lot of people realise how deep that is.”

Daniel Ricciardo Global Ford Racing Ambassador (1)

Ricciardo confirmed his retirement from racing in September 2025 after stepping away from F1 in 2024.

"While my racing days are behind me, my love for anything with wheels will always remain high and for that I am proud to be partnering with Ford to become a Global Ford Racing Ambassador," the former Red Bull driver explained as his partnership with Ford Racing was announced on 5 September 2025.

"I am going to be working closely with the Ford Racing team and specifically focus on the amazing Raptor brand and lifestyle that Raptor has become for many of Ford's customers.

"So why now and why me? When I decided it was time to retire, I thought long and hard about finding the most authentic way to stay connected to the world of motorsports.

"For me, racing was always about having fun. It made me happy and created memories that will last a lifetime."