Formula 1 drivers have been told to step up and show more personality to fill the void left by departing stars Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel.
As well as being very talented drivers, both were very well liked by fans and rivals alike. Ricciardo in particular was a huge personality in the paddock – which made him arguably the main star of the Drive to Survive series.
The Aussie will not be appearing much in the next season of the Netflix show as he is now only a reserve for Red Bull. His absence will be keenly felt by viewers, just as it was by Sky Sports pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz in Bahrain last weekend.
While presenting his Ted's Notebook show, Kravitz said: "I must say there are two notable exceptions to F1 in 2023. We do miss their presence and I'm talking about Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel. And you know what? I felt this on Thursday when we started and I feel it now, I just miss those guys. They were big personalities.
"And yes, I know Daniel Ricciardo is a reserve driver for Red Bull Racing, he might be around, but they were big personalities, and you know, if F1 is to continue its popularity, then some of these drivers need to step up and become and develop and be those big personalities to replace those guys that we've lost to the sport.
"I'm sure they will do, [it] always happens, always has happened in F1, but it's just a sign of what a great draw Danny Ric and Seb were that we do feel that we miss them."
Giving his thoughts on Ricciardo's absence, Drive to Survive executive producer Paul Martin recently said: "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, [Pierre] 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."
