'Enjoying some life in the slow lane': Daniel Ricciardo breaks silence on F1 'retirement'

Daniel Ricciardo has spoken publicly for the first time since his split with the Red Bull program and exit from Formula 1.

Ricciardo has not raced anything since last year's Singapore Grand Prix, and was in attendance at the latest round of his Daniel Ricciardo Racing (DRS) karting series in the UK.

Ricciardo, who turned 36 on Monday, said he was "all good", and revealed his attendance at the Buckmore Park karting track was the first time he'd been at a race track at all since he left the paddock in Singapore.

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"I'm just enjoying some life in the slow lane. I mean, it sounds weird saying like retirement when I'm 35 years old, but retirement from at least the world I was living in. It's cool," he said.

"To be at the kart track … it's my first time at a race track since I guess Singapore, so quite a few months now. But it's cool to see the kids … this is why I started karting.

"I've had photos with groups of the kids and I can tell the friendships they have, and these friendships will last a lifetime a lot of them. My best friend to this day was a friend that I raced karts with. It's nice to be back at like the grassroots of it and the most pure form of racing.

"I think now that I'm a bit removed from it and life is not as chaotic, it's nice to remember what it was like to be at the start of your career."

Ricciardo was unceremoniously axed by the then-RB team and replaced with Liam Lawson, who has since had his own struggles first within Red Bull and then back at Racing Bulls.

The Aussie has since kept a relatively low profile. He has not done an interview with any media, and limited public appearances to promotional events for his Enchante brand and a betting agency.