F1's Next Daniel Ricciardo? New Face of Drive to Survive Finally Revealed
Paul Martin, the producer of Netflix's Drive to Survive, has identified Pierre Gasly as the driver who could take over Daniel Ricciardo's role as the face of the series.
The documentary-style series has been instrumental in promoting F1 to a wider audience, contributing to the recent surge in viewership numbers.
Although Ricciardo's outgoing personality made him a perfect fit for the show, he is expected to feature very little in the upcoming season, as he has been dropped by McLaren for the coming season and is now the third driver for Red Bull.
Gasly, who is heading into his first season with Alpine, has been tipped as the driver who could fill the void left by Ricciardo. Martin explained to The New York Post:
“Without Daniel, I think there probably wouldn’t have been a Drive to Survive.
“He was the first driver that we talked to about it, the first driver that invited us to his home in Australia. I felt very emotional with him leaving.
“For me, 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.
“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.
“He’s grown on screen as a driver and as a person, so I think he’ll be someone who will really fill the gap that Daniel leaves.”
F1Briefings' Opinion
What made Ricciardo so great for the role was his infectious laugh and incredible personality which made fans instantly fall in love with him.
In our opinion, the next driver to take the front spot of the hit show would need to have a similar approach. Ricciardo's former teammate Lando Norris has shown in various interviews his dry humour and many F1 fans are behind him on his journey to hopefully get to the top of the podium for the first time.
Who do you think should follow in Ricciardo's footsteps?