Daniel Ricciardo's absence from the Formula 1 grid this year left the executive producer of the Drive to Survive Netflix show feeling "very emotional".
The programme has been extremely popular and is credited for bringing a new generation of fans to the sport by shining a light on the personalities behind the helmets and within the paddock.
Ricciardo has been a central figure in that regard. Not every team participated in the first series in 2018 and Max Verstappen boycotted the season covering the 2021 campaign – but the Australian has always made himself available and was an obvious hit with those new fans.
It is not a huge surprise, then, that executive producer Paul Martin is gutted that Ricciardo won't be around much while the Netflix cameras are rolling this year. He told 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." In the 33-year-old's absence, Martin believes Pierre Gasly could emerge as the new main star of the show.
He added: "For me, Gasly has always been in that role as well. The show has 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] 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."
While the absence of such a central figure will be jarring to some of those viewers who only really know F1's main stars through Drive to Survive, Martin used the Dallas TV show as evidence to back up his belief that they will be able to adapt without too much disruption.
He continued: "It's a soap opera: characters get killed off, they come back, new characters come on. I'm a big fan of the old '80s soap operas so it feels a bit like Bobby Ewing. I wouldn't be surprised to see Daniel pop up in the shower at some point this year.
"He's such a character... if a few teams start to go wrong and it doesn't feel like their drivers are working out, I wouldn't be surprised to see Daniel back in a seat."
