Where it used to be the case that Formula 1 was pushed to the periphery of sport, with a selective audience of fans around the world and a vast majority of doubters who questioned the talents of those in the driver’s seat, the Netflix series Formula 1: Drive to Survive came and changed all of that. Suddenly, we were given an intimate look into the world of the sport’s drivers, learning about their intensive training routines and the gruelling fitness sessions they have to endure simply to get in racing shape. We discovered more about team dynamics and the rivalries at play in the sport, and came to meet driver’s that eclipsed Formula 1 entirely, becoming characters we felt a certain fondness for.
It’s not surprising then, that the success of Drive to Survive has heralded a new legion of Formula 1 fans around the world, catapulting the sport and its stars into a level of fame few could have anticipated. According to reports from The Hollywood Reporter, Hulu is set to create its own Formula 1 series, with the Disney-backed studio teaming with driver Daniel Ricciardo to develop a half-hour scripted series set in the world of Formula 1 racing.
While details about the project and its plot have been kept strictly under wraps, a search for a writer is currently underway. The series is in its early development stages and hails from ABC Signature, Lionsgate Television and Temple Hill’s Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Phoebe Zimmer and Sydney Title. Aussie sensation Ricciardo, who currently drives for McLaren and has an impressive eight Grand Prix race wins under his belt, will serve as executive producer.
Currently ranked 13th in the driver’s championship after nine races this year, Ricciardo has long expressed his desire to branch out from the world of racing and explore other passions and pursuits. Earlier this month, he explained that while F1 remains his priority and is the sole focus of his life currently, he doesn’t want to be defined only by his results on the race course. “[Having] a bad race is unfortunately too common in this sport, so I don’t want that to dictate the way I feel the week after. I’ve been exposed to this already last year. I removed myself from it last year and that then started to affect my friendships at times,” he said.
Announcement of the new series seems only to suggest that public appetitive for racing projects is at a fever pitch. Apple has previously announced a Formula 1 feature starring Brad Pitt after a highly competitive bidding war. It will see Pitt play a racer who comes out of retirement to mentor a youngster and take a final stab at glory as the younger driver’s teammate. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is producing the film, which will be directed by Top Gun: Maverick director, Joseph Kosinki. Netflix, meanwhile, mounted a NASCAR-backed comedy series starring Kevin James titled The Crew, but it was unfortunately cancelled after one season. Apple also recently landed a feature documentary about British F1 racer, Lewis Hamilton.
While the public certainly can’t get enough of F1, the sport itself is in turmoil after yet another incident of racial abuse. After claims retired champion Nelson Piquet used a racial slur against Hamilton, there is mounting pressure for the sport to act and F1 drivers have been quick to unite behind Hamilton in a show of solidarity.
Even so, it feels like Hamilton has been shouldering the burden of bringing about change and greater awareness to the sport largely on his own as the only Black driver in the sport. Speaking about the “archaic mindsets” that need to change, Hamilton said: “It’s more than language. These archaic mindsets need to change and have no place in our sport. I’ve been surrounded by these attitudes and targeted my whole life. There has been plenty of time to learn. Time has come for action.”
