One of the strongest aspects of Drive to Survive has been the presence of Daniel Ricciardo as the de facto star of the show. The Aussie racer’s involvement with the Netflix crew on and off the track has delivered plenty of quotable content to the docu-series, making him the fan-favorite driver all across the board.
However, after Ricciardo’s exit midway through 2024, Drive to Survive may be lost at sea without an anchor to hold the series in place. While Season 7 records the final moments of the Australian driver as he bids a teary farewell, the audience may find it difficult to invest in the series without Ricciardo in the future.
Daniel Ricciardo bids adieu to Drive to Survive
Drive to Survive has much to offer its fans and casual viewers – melodrama, rivalries, politics, petty fights, and scandalous controversies. However, the one pure thing about the Netflix docu-series has been the presence of Daniel Ricciardo throughout its 6 entertaining seasons.
The Aussie’s infectious personality, candor, bold declarations of love, optimism, eccentricity, and weirdness were easy to fall for. As such, it was a calculated decision on Netflix’s part to make him the show’s de facto star. But in an industry as fluctuating and shifting as Formula 1, solidifying Ricciardo’s place within the series was also one of its biggest mistakes.
Now that Ricciardo has been dropped from F1, Drive to Survive feels a vacuum at its core, and fans are left without their beloved Aussie and his antics. But when it comes to Ricciardo himself, the Honey Badger reveals he has no regrets while recording a farewell message at Netflix (via Express UK).
This is it. My dream was to be world champion, and there were years along the way where I genuinely felt like it was going to happen. I got close. But if I was a world champion sitting here today, does it change how I feel or how I view myself? I don’t think so. Maybe my ego would be big, and we don’t want that, so I have no regrets.
As he exited the sets for the last time, Daniel Ricciardo left a final note for the crew and his fans on the show’s clapperboard, where he wrote: “From S1 to S7, it’s been a ride. Arrivederci!” Season 7 will be the last time that Ricciardo will be seen on the series.
Daniel Ricciardo’s upsetting exit from Formula 1
Daniel Ricciardo has had a troubling few years at Formula 1 since his exit from Red Bull. Although talented and aggressively competitive on the tracks, his moments of glory were few and far between – as seen during the 2018 Shanghai Grand Prix.
Since then, his subsequent move to Renault, wading through a tenure at McLaren, and finally to the junior Red Bull team VCARB, proved how F1 was finding it difficult to hold on to Ricciardo. In a shocking decision midway through 2024, Daniel Ricciardo was let go in September after the Singapore Grand Prix with only 6 races to go, as Liam Lawson moved to take his place.
While Drive to Survive Season 7 will document a major arc of his departure first hand, it will be a difficult and emotional journey for the new generation of Formula 1 fans who came into the sport through their love for the show and its star drivers – Daniel Ricciardo being one. His absence in Season 8, if renewed, will be a heavy burden to bear on Netflix’s part.
Drive to Survive Season 7 is now available to stream on Netflix.
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