DANIEL RICCIARDO LANDS NEW JOB ALONGSIDE F1 AS AUSSIE FIGHTS FOR HIS FUTURE

Daniel Ricciardo has teamed up with writers and showrunners Alec Berg and Adam Countee, serving as an executive producer for Hulu's new comedy series, Downforce. The Aussie will bring his expertise to the new show, which is set in the world of F1.

Ricciardo's new gig marks the continuation of the trend of F1 drivers getting involved with Hollywood. Lewis Hamilton has already been serving as an executive producer on the currently untitled film starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris.

While the concept of an F1 driver working on a major motion picture seems like a confusing match, Hamilton explained the role in an interview with GQ Magazine. "My point was: Guys, this movie needs to be so authentic," he said.

"There's two different fan groups that we have - like, the old originals, who from the day they're born hear the [BBC] Grand Prix music every weekend and watch with their families, and the new generation that just learned about it today through Netflix.

"I felt my job really has been to try to call BS. 'This would never happen.' 'This is how it would be.' 'This is how it could happen.' Just giving them advice about what racing is really about and what, as a racing fan, would appeal and what would not."

Unfortunately for Ricciardo, he cannot throw himself totally into his new role without concern about his F1 future. The 34-year-old ended his long wait for points in 2024 with an impressive P4 finish in the Miami Grand Prix sprint race, but a P15 finish on Sunday demonstrated that there is clearly still work to be done in his camp.

This result was made to look even worse thanks to his VCARB team-mate, Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese racer held off George Russell to follow up his P8 sprint race finish with a mighty six-point haul for the midfield squad, further stamping his authority on the intra-team battle at Faenza.

Of the 19 points collected by VCARB this season, only five have come through Ricciardo. This tally is an underwhelming one, considering the eight-time Grand Prix winner entered the campaign with hopes of showing Red Bull bosses that he could be an upgrade on Sergio Perez.

Instead, Ricciardo finds himself looking over his shoulder with Liam Lawson waiting and ready to replace him, should Helmut Marko and Christian Horner decide not to afford the Aussie a full campaign.

2024-05-09T08:10:22Z dg43tfdfdgfd