In 2022, around the same time his tenure at McLaren Racing came to an unceremonious end, reports indicated Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo was developing a scripted answer to Netflix’s Formula 1: Drive To Survive for the Disney-backed Hulu. Now, the comedy series — officially titled Downforce — has unveiled its creative geniuses: legendary television writer Alec Berg and veteran producer Adam Countee.
If those names sound familiar, there’s a very good reason for that. Berg famously cut his teeth with Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, as well as Silicon Valley, before he co-created HBO’s celebrated Barry alongside Bill Hader. Countee, on the other hand, famously produced the likes of Community and Vice Principals in addition to the aforementioned Silicon Valley.
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“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, trajectory is on point. On target,” Ricciardo hinted in conversation with BH at the 2023 Melbourne Grand Prix.
“The writers, as you probably know are a very, very, very big part of it. I know that the crew had sights set on a couple of people in particular and they were able to acquire them so really happy.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the story has taken a page out of the Ted Lasso playbook: an heiress to a “dynastic racing team” is thrust back into the family business and forced to make some tough choices about the future of an F1 team, as well as her family’s very legacy.
In addition to writing and showrunner duties, Berg and Countee will also serve as executive producers to Downforce alongside Temple Hill’s Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey, Amy Solomon, plus Danny Ric himself. And as several publications have already pointed out, the latter’s involvement will surely add credibility to the show, as well as potentially provide some Silicon Valley-level insights for punchlines.
Of course, Daniel Ricciardo isn’t the only active driver lending cred to a Hollywood production. As you may have already heard, Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski’s Formula One movie starring Brad Pitt currently counts the involvement of seven-time world champion and incoming Scuderia Ferrari talent — Sir Lewis Hamilton.
The Apple Studios-backed film believed to be titled Apex achieved all-new heights of authenticity last by having Pitt and his co-star Damson Idris join the drivers’ briefing ahead of the British Grand Prix, line up for the national anthem, and even walk through Silverstone in full costume before filming some actual on-track action in modified Formula 2 cars.
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“I play a guy [Sonny Hayes] who raced in the 1990s who has a horrible crash and disappears to race in other disciplines,” Brad Pitt explained to Sky Sports.
“His friend [played by Javier Bardem], the team owner, contacts him. They’re last in the grid, they haven’t scored a point. But they have a young phenom [Johua Pearce], played by Damson Idris, and they bring me in as kind of a Hail Mary.”
“You’ve never seen speed, you’ve never seen the G-forces like this. The footage is really, really exciting.”
Keep an eye out here for when Hulu’s Downforce, which will stream on Disney+, has a confirmed release date.
Editor’s note: I guess we’re actually getting our wish granted.
