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Drive to Survive Forced to Snub America’s Sweetheart Daniel Ricciardo for F1 Driver With “Amazing Journey”

Published 02/20/2023, 6:36 AM EST

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Ever since the advent of Netflix’s popular docuseries on F1, Drive to Survive, Daniel Ricciardo has undoubtedly played the role of a showrunner. However, the Australian driver fell out of favor with McLaren last season, mutually terminating his contract. After that, he decided to take a year off from regular action in F1. That changes the dynamic of the docuseries as well. The show’s producer has now made his choice clear over who will replace Ricciardo as the show’s undeclared main character.

There is no doubt that DTS has given an enormous boost to F1’s popularity worldwide. Lewis Hamilton recently revealed how many misconceptions Americans had about the sport before the docuseries came in. Many from the States believed it was very similar to NASCAR. He hailed Netflix for the entertaining series that “skyrocketed the sport into a different realm”. A big entertaining factor throughout the 4 released seasons until now has been Ricciardo’s humorous commentary. But that might change in the 6th season that will release next year.

via Reuters

In an interview with The Post, the show’s producer Paul Martin told, “For me, [Pierre] Gasly has always been in that role as well. The show’s been on this amazing journey with Pierre and I feel quite emotionally attached to him,”

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“We’ve seen him go through some incredible lows: the season where he was demoted [from Red Bull Racing] and Anthoine [Hubert] died. So to see him finally get a chance again in a competitive car is going to be great.”

Martin lauded Gasly for his growth on screen as a driver and as a person. He, therefore, feels the Frenchman is the perfect replacement for the Honey Badger.

Daniel Ricciardo credits DTS for making America a hotspot for F1

The entire Red Bull team was in the States recently for the launch of their 2023 car. Before the launch of the RB19, Daniel appeared on Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show. On the show, Colbert asked him about his contribution to the rise in popularity of F1 in America and DTS.

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via Reuters

Ricciardo had the most Ricciardo answer that sent the audience into a frenzy when he said, “I was probably going to say something serious. But ultimately, it’s probably my good looks.”

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He then went on to explain how Europe used to be the epicenter of F1. However, ever since DTS’ arrival, that has changed and now America is a major hotspot for the sport.

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Watch This Story: Daniel Ricciardo’s Best Moments in F1

Do you agree with Honey Badger’s assessment? Do you think Pierre Gasly can do as good a job as Daniel has done over the years in carrying the show? Let us know your opinions in the comments.

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Written by:

Nischay Rathore

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Nischay Rathore is a Formula 1 Author at EssentiallySports. Being a law graduate, he has worked at the Supreme Court of India as well as the High Court of Delhi. However, due to his adherent love for sports, he has now set out to start his journey into the world of Sports Journalism.
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Edited by:

Varunkumaar Chelladurai