As the stars flocked at the Met Gala red carpet last year, F1 heartthrob Daniel Ricciardo also made it to the famous event. The former McLaren racer went to the Metropolitan Museum in New York for his first-ever Met appearance where he brushed shoulders with Hollywood’s crème de la crème. And while going over the special moments the Honey Badger spent there, he recently confessed to having a major fanboy moment after meeting British rapper Stormzy.

With 8 Grand Prix wins in his bag and countless fans who adore his infectious smile, Daniel Ricciardo is one of the best-known faces in Formula 1 after Lewis Hamilton. And a major chunk of the credit for the Aussie’s superstar status goes to Netflix’s hit docuseries ‘Drive to Survive’. DTS has made Ricciardo a household name amongst those Americans who previously were not aware of Formula 1 at all. Thus, riding on the success of his appearance on the Netflix show, Ricciardo has even done some talk-show interviews as he came on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah back in 2022.

As a direct result of becoming famous in the US, Daniel Ricciardo, quite unsurprisingly, got invited to the Met Gala in 2023 where he met Anne Hathaway. While speaking about the encounter afterward, Danny Ricc cheekily confessed that he was starstruck as Hathaway claimed she was an F1 fan. However, recently, before the British GP, he was on a podcast interview where he revealed being a total fanboy for another star whom he met on the Met Gala night.

Speaking on crossing paths with none other than Stormzy, Daniel revealed on ‘The Red Flags’ podcast, “[While] leaving the Met that night, Stormzy was walking in front of me, and I tried not to like fanboy [him] but I was like, oh, whatever, and I’d had a few drinks by then and I was like, all right, I’ll just say hi and be like “Hey man, I’m a fan!” Yeah, so I was like, “Hey, just want to say, me and my mates like love your music, we listen to you.” And, as I was saying that, he was like, “Ricciardo, oh we love you!”” 

Well, Stormzy might have been who made the Honey Badger starstruck at the Met, but it seems like Ricciardo might soon become a movie star himself! So, what is the update on his F1-themed comedy show that might catapult his Hollywood career soon?

Daniel Ricciardo’s ‘Downforce’ has roped in a massive buyer

Formula 1 seems to be Hollywood’s newest passion project as several movies are now being planned around this series. Lewis Hamilton’s AppleTV project named ‘F1’, starring Brad Pitt, is one of the most ambitious films in the history of American cinema. And now, Ricciardo wants to follow it up with his ambitious project named ‘Downforce’. It is a comedy-drama based on the Aussie’s life in Formula 1, and interestingly, the rights to this flick have found a purchaser – none other than Hulu (the streaming service under the media mogul, Disney).

As per the reports, Hulu has given Ricciardo’s brainchild the green light for a pilot episode. It is now being led by two famous Hollywood names: Alec Berg of ‘Seinfeld’ fame and Primetime Emmy-nominate writer Adam Countee. Speaking on them, the VCARB racer had said last year, “They are very established and good writers. So we’re very happy with that and things are progressing really well. Everything’s, let’s say, the trajectory is on point.”

Well, Daniel Ricciardo’s move into Hollywood at a time like this might be a good development for him since his F1 career is in troubled waters now. The Honey Badger has hardly impressed the stakeholders with his results for VCARB this year. Now, Red Bull’s reserve driver Liam Lawson is breathing down Ricciardo’s neck as the New Zealander wants to claim his seat.

Do you think Daniel deserves to retain his seat for the upcoming F1 season or should it go to Lawson now? Share your comments below to let us know about your opinions.