Drive to Survive’s impact on F1 has been nothing short of revolutionary, bringing many new audiences to the sport. Drivers like Daniel Ricciardo have been among the biggest beneficiaries in popularity and have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Beyond that, Ricciardo feels especially grateful to Netflix for one more reason.
The Australian driver mentioned how Drive to Survive (DTS) has brought a sense of respect around F1 in the general masses. Back when he was young, F1 and motorsport in general did not have much fame as a sport. Ricciardo narrated a few anecdotes from his school days to prove his point on the Red Flags podcast, two months earlier.
When people tell Daniel Ricciardo, “he was great on that show”, this is his reaction…
Were you a fan before or after Drive to Survive?#F1 #LasVegasGP pic.twitter.com/1oFNmlxAK3
— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) November 15, 2023
“I loved this sport and it was especially at school, I never felt like it got the respect it deserved and you know it was me and one other kid when I was at school that watched F1,” he said. The Honey Badger also mentioned how teachers and his fellow students scoffed at his stories of going to race in karts and wanting to pursue racing.
That wasn’t just the reality in Australia, but in the USA too. However, in the 21st century, F1 steadily evolved and with the advent of Drive to Survive, people started to take more interest in F1 as a serious sport. DTS helped improve people’s perception with its intriguing storytelling of the on-track events.
“For me, the fact that this is giving us a platform to like share the sport with the world and kind of get a little bit of respect and people can see it and appreciate it. That makes me really happy,” Ricciardo added.
It is due to DTS that Ricciardo has become a household name in the American region where F1 wasn’t the most popular sport. However, the eight-time race winner will have to steadily leave the Netflix production in 2025.
Despite being a star of DTS, Ricciardo will phase out
Due to Mercedes and Ferrari’s denial to participate in the first season of Drive to Survive, Ricciardo became a leading character in the docu-series. The first episode of season one featured the Aussie and his charm and wit won people’s hearts.
Since then, he has been a mainstay in every season of Drive to Survive. However, his exit from RB (formerly AlphaTauri) will make his appearance in the seventh season of the show a farewell one. With no likely path back to a full-time F1 drive, Ricciardo may not feature in DTS after the next season which releases in February or March 2025.
Nevertheless, his fans would hope that DTS does a good job in showcasing his exit from F1, as it was handled awfully. On top of that, with many other exciting storylines including Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari move, Carlos Sainz’s search for a seat, and McLaren’s rise to glory, there is a chance that Ricciardo’s exit becomes less of a subplot.
