Where are the drivers from Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 debut now? From Sky Sports pundit to Le Mans 24 winner

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Daniel Ricciardo made his Formula 1 debut back in 2011 at the British Grand Prix but his career in the series may be over after leaving Visa Cash App RB.

A mixed year in 2024 saw Red Bull decide to bench Ricciardo from their junior team’s line-up with six rounds left of the season as Liam Lawson took up the Visa Cash App RB seat.

Ricciardo likely bowed out of Formula 1 for the final time after winning eight of the 257 races he started since the Australian’s debut for HRT at the 2011 British Grand Prix.

Now 35 years old, the Australian made his final Grand Prix start – at least for now – at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, where Ricciardo set the fastest lap of the race.

Yet after 13 years, some of the grid from the 2011 British Grand Prix are also still racing in Formula 1, even with the championship very different to the series Ricciardo stepped into on his debut weekend.

READ MORE: The best moments of Daniel Ricciardo’s career in Formula 1

Ricciardo finished the race three laps down on his Formula 1 debut for HRT in a car that was consistently floundering at the back of the field.

So, with the Perth native out at Visa Cash App RB, F1 Oversteer takes a look at where the grid from Ricciardo’s Formula 1 debut in the 2011 British GP are now…

1^st – Fernando Alonso – Ferrari

Fernando Alonso was in the middle of his second season as a Ferrari Formula 1 driver and trying to challenge for his third world championship when Ricciardo debuted for HRT at Silverstone.

The Spanish driver had endured a frustrating opening eight rounds of the season, watching as Sebastian Vettel won six races and drove to second in the other two.

Alonso went on to dominate the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, sparking his season into life, but he ultimately failed to clinch the world championship that year.

He stayed with Ferrari for three more years before a shock move to McLaren Honda in 2015. But a frustrating four years followed, so Alonso left F1 and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice before returning with Alpine in 2021.

The Spaniard is now hoping to achieve success with Aston Martin, who will welcome Adrian Newey to the outfit in 2025.

2^nd – Sebastian Vettel – Red Bull

Vettel was at the peak of his Formula 1 career in 2011, pushing for his second world championship and enjoying the dominant Red Bull RB7.

The German driver went on to win four world championships before effectively retiring from Formula 1 at the end of the 2022 season.

Vettel has not driven in any championship since leaving F1 as a 53-time Grands Prix winner who drove for Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin.

3^rd – Mark Webber – Red Bull

Mark Webber took the final step of the podium at Silverstone in 2011 and enjoyed a good career in Formula 1, winning nine races.

The Australian driver never won the world championship but was a contender in 2010, before losing out to his Red Bull teammate Vettel.

Webber left F1 at the end of the 2013 season and spent three years in endurance racing from 2014-2016 with Porsche. Since then, he has worked as a Formula 1 pundit for British TV and has also acted as Oscar Piastri’s manager since 2019.

4^th – Lewis Hamilton – McLaren

Lewis Hamilton was suffering a difficult season in 2011 as Red Bull outclassed McLaren over the season with the British team largely inconsistent.

Hamilton stood on the podium on just six occasions in 2011, while taking three victories including memorable wins at the Chinese Grand Prix and in Germany at the Nurburgring.

The 2011 season was full of incidents and he suffered frustrating afternoons, such as the Italian Grand Prix when he struggled to pass Michael Schumacher.

Hamilton moved to Mercedes in 2013 and would win six world championships with the Silver Arrows. But their time together is coming to an end as Hamilton will join Ferrari in 2025, where he will partner Charles Leclerc.

5^th – Felipe Massa – Ferrari

Felipe Massa was very fast in his Formula 1 career and was Schumacher’s teammate at Ferrari in 2006.

The Brazilian driver won his first F1 race at the Turkish Grand Prix in 2006, too. He also came agonisingly close to winning the world championship two years later in 2008, losing out to Hamilton at Massa’s home race.

Massa left Ferrari at the end of 2013 before moving to Williams, where he was a reliable driver before retiring in 2017. Since then, the Sao Paulo native has infrequently raced in other categories, including in IMSA’s LMP2 class and the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series in 2024.

6^th – Nico Rosberg – Mercedes

Nico Rosberg drove to sixth place at the 2011 British Grand Prix as Mercedes slowly crept towards the front of the field.

The German driver won the world championship with the Silver Arrows in 2016, defeating his teammate Hamilton before retiring straight after that year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

After leaving racing behind, Rosberg became a pundit for Sky Sports, offering his analytical views on race weekends. He further founded Rosberg Ventures in 2022 with the German an active sustainability entrepreneur.

7^th – Sergio Perez – Sauber

Sergio Perez was in the middle of his rookie season in Formula 1 when the 2011 British Grand Prix rolled around and Ricciardo debuted with HRT.

The Mexican driver’s seventh-place finish was his best result of the season after graduating from the GP2 Series.

Perez won his first Grand Prix in 2020 for Racing Point at the Sakhir Grand Prix before moving to Red Bull in the following season, partnering Max Verstappen.

He played a critical role in the Dutchman taking his first world championship in 2021 and is still racing for the Austrian team in 2024.

8^th – Nick Heidfeld – Renault

Nick Heidfeld scored points at the 2011 British Grand Prix, and the German driver was impressive in his Formula 1 career.

He made his debut in 2000 with the Prost team and was a contender to join McLaren two years later but was beaten to the drive by Raikkonen.

Heidfeld also came very close to winning a Formula 1 race but never stood on the top step of the podium at the highest level.

He left F1 in 2011 before going on to race in Formula E and endurance racing, as well as a one-off appearance in the World Rallycross Championship in 2022.

9^th – Michael Schumacher – Mercedes

Schumacher had returned to Formula 1 with Mercedes in 2010 but spent most of the seven-time F1 champion’s three-year comeback with the Silver Arrows in the midfield.

The 2011 season was especially difficult for the German, who scored his best result of the year at the Canadian Grand Prix with fourth place.

Schumacher was beaten by his teammate Rosberg over the season as Mercedes developed their Formula 1 team after joining the grid in 2010.

10^th – Jaime Alguersuari – Toro Rosso

Jaime Alguersuari rounded out the points at the 2011 British Grand Prix at Silverstone for Toro Rosso, ending his sequence of three consecutive points finishes.

The Spaniard debuted at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2009 for Toro Rosso before scoring his first point in the following season’s Malaysian Grand Prix.

After leaving Formula 1 in 2011, he raced in Formula E in the 2014/15 season before departing from motorsport after losing motivation for the sport.

Since then, Alguersuari has put racing in his rear-view mirror with the Spaniard now a DJ and music producer in his hometown of Barcelona.