The moment Netflix knew Daniel Ricciardo would be the star of Drive to Survive

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The world of Formula 1 will once again have to get used to one of its biggest characters no longer being in the paddock at the United States Grand Prix.

Ricciardo is not expected to be in Austin after losing his seat at RB to Liam Lawson following the Singapore Grand Prix.

It’s not been the return to Formula 1 that Daniel Ricciardo would have hoped for after stepping into Nyck de Vries’s AlphaTauri midway through last year.

A few races into his comeback he picked up a hand injury that ruled him out for five Grand Prix and aside from standout performances at the Mexican Grand Prix last year and the Sprint Race in Miami earlier this season, he’s struggled to stand out.

It spoke volumes when RB decided to hand teammate Yuki Tsunoda a new deal for 2025 earlier in the season, leaving Ricciardo looking over his shoulder.

Lawson’s impressive cameo in 2023 meant Red Bull had to offer him a seat otherwise they risked losing the talented Kiwi.

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Initially, it was thought that meant for 2025, but given Red Bull still have concerns about Sergio Perez, they’ve decided to give him six races to see if he’s ready to jump straight into the senior team and replace the Mexican.

Ricciardo’s influence on the sport can’t be underestimated and in part that’s due to his starring role in Netflix hit Drive to Survive.

Producer James Gay-Rees spoke to the Formula 1 website about Ricciardo’s impact on the series.

Gay-Rees admitted that he was sad to lose Ricciardo and Guenther Steiner as protagonists going forward, but also highlighted the moment he knew the Australian would play a starring role in the programme.

When Drive to Survive knew Daniel Ricciardo would be a star on the hit Netflix show

During the first season of Drive to Survive, Red Bull were the team that gave Netflix the most access.

This meant Ricciardo was immediately front and centre and Gay-Rees said when asked about his impact: “I think Daniel just became everybody’s favourite straight away. He’s been an amazing part of it, there’s absolutely no doubt.

“He embraced the series when a lot of people weren’t really embracing it and gave us a lot of his time. He’s a hugely likeable bloke and just had an infectious energy from the get-go.

“Daniel’s just very relaxed in front of a camera, isn’t he? He’s very relaxed with himself, he doesn’t overthink it, he’s charismatic, and he’s a very genial human being, so I don’t think he found it particularly problematic being filmed.

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“If you’re Daniel Ricciardo, it’s pretty straightforward – you just be yourself and it kind of works for people.

“You can’t say that about a lot of athletes. That’s a huge generalisation, but a lot of athletes either don’t want the distraction, or they can’t be bothered, or they’re not particularly extroverted or whatever it might be. He was the right guy at the right time, wasn’t he?

“Daniel became a major part of the show. He was a cornerstone, and still is, in some ways. It was meant to be.

“He continued to let us inside whatever happened in his career in a really amazing way, so it worked for both parties, I think.”

David Coulthard hails Daniel Ricciardo’s ‘media masterstroke’ after F1 exit

Ricciardo is one of Formula 1’s greatest entertainers of the modern era both on and off the track.

The Australian was an unbelievable overtaker but also knew exactly how to handle himself in front of the media during a race weekend.

David Coulthard suggested Ricciardo played a ‘media masterstroke’ during his exit from the sport.

While he’s likely to take some time away from F1 now, many people would love to see him back in the paddock as a pundit or commentator in the future.

Whether Ricciardo believes his time as a racer is over is yet to be seen, although plenty of other series would love to snap up someone with his ability and charisma.

Drive to Survive has created millions of new F1 fans, and Ricciardo has played a huge role in that, but the Netflix series will need to find a new protagonist going forward.