06x09 - Three's a Crowd

[bunniefuu]

[laughs]

All right, what's up?

Daniel Ricciardo.

This is season six,

Drive to Survive,

and yes, I'm back.

[rock music plays]

-[Friend] You hungry?
-[Ricciardo] Uh, yes.

[Friend] A little breakfast bowl?

[Ricciardo] Uh, cheers, bro.

What's that? A babyccino?

[Friend] It's an oat latte.

No, sorry, where from?

Uh, where we went for brekkie yesterday.

Oh.

No wonder why
it tastes like ba*ls. [chuckles]

People think
we're pretty much a married couple.

If we were a married couple,

then I would wait for you to sit down.

But that's why...
That's how you know you're not.

Mm.

You'd be lucky to have me, bro.

Also, if we were married,
I wouldn't do this at the table.

I think what's crazy is,
like, start of the year,

when I was like, "I need this.
I just need time off. I need a break."

But now, I feel so ready.

-It's... it's crazy how that's switched.
-[Friend] The flip.

You needed the, like, awareness of,

"Okay, I actually really love
doing what I do,"

and you needed to step away
to realize that a little bit.

[Ricciardo] And we're back
where it all started,

which is kind of crazy. [chuckles]

Here we go.

-[Friend] Yeah.
-It feels good.

[cheering]

[Ricciardo] Coming back
to just have an opportunity again,

in a family that I've got
a lot of good memories with

and people that still believe I can do it,

it's definitely a pull on the heartstrings
a little bit. [laughs]

Obviously, after last year as well,
I feel like I've got nothing to lose.

But also, there's... a lot to gain.

This is my path back, hopefully,
to the front of the grid again.

Daniel Ricciardo has not
come back to Formula 1

to race an AlphaTauri.

He's back for one reason,
and one reason alone.

He wants to find himself in the seat
he knows he should never have left.

The full full-circle dream for me

is to... to get back at Red Bull Racing.

That would be, like, complete for me.

If I find a way to kick some arse,

it could put me back in a position
to take top seat in the sport.

The Honey Badger's back.

I need to remind these cats.

-[Friend] Ready to go.
-Hmm.

[engine revs]

[Sargeant] All I know is the most
excited people when Danny Ric came back

was Netflix.

I literally think they had to
change their pants three times.

I know the episode already.
Let... let me run it through. Ready?

Here we have Danny Ricciardo
watching on the sidelines.

"Yeah, it hurts to not be racing."

Then all of a sudden,
pans to Nyck de Vries.

Lock up. [imitates brakes screeching]
Off the track. Crash. Oh sh*t!

Boom. Fast-forward. Silverstone. Test.

-Daniel Ricciardo. Super quick.
-[laughs]

Danny looking at it like...
big smile on his face.

-"It is what it is. You know?"
-[man] "I never left."

"I never left. I'm back, baby.
Honey Badger. Don't give a sh*t."

[upbeat music plays]

[commentator 1] Good afternoon
and welcome to the Dutch Grand Prix.

It's finally time for the first
on-track action after the summer break.

[Gasly] My pass is inside, sorry.

Hey, kick him out. He doesn't have a pass.

[both laugh]

[Gasly] What are you gonna do?

[fans scream]

[upbeat music plays]

[fan 1] Daniel!

Daniel!

Daniel, please, a photo!

-It's good to see you on track.
-[fan 2] So glad you're driving again.

-Quite a return.
-[fan 3] Good luck.

[fan 4] Good luck, Danny.

-[fan 5] Can I get a selfie?
-[fan 6] Daniel, can I get your picture?

-Welcome back.
-Thanks, mate.

Welcome back.

[Ricciardo] Feels right.

Feels good.

[man] Nice to see you back.

Good, buddy. How are ya?

-[man] Good, you?
-[woman] Hey!

Buongiorno.

[woman in Italian] Ciao! Welcome.

All calm?

[woman] Very calm!

-[in English] You?
-Good, yeah.

-Driver rooms?
-[woman] Over there.

[man] They would like to know which helmet
you're gonna use for the weekend.

Maybe all of them,
but what would be the primary one?

-[Ricciardo] That's good.
-[man] Okay.

They're gonna take some pictures.

Daniel's got a huge amount to prove.

Probably to himself
as much as anybody else.

[Daniel clears throat]

[photographer] The first one
we're gonna do, you're gonna walk in...

Esteban looks vicious!

I know, right? He's a man on a mission.

-Okay, so there's no audio?
-[photographer] Yeah.

-So I could say things.
-[photographer] Yeah.

-What are you staring at, you little f*ck?
-[photographer] But your lips will move.

Three, two, one, go.

-Now you do the fist bump with...
-[Ricciardo] Both?

He was one of the highest-regarded drivers
in Formula 1 three or four years ago.

[photographer] That's perfect.

It's really weird
when you're not actually celebrating.

And in 2023,
nobody wanted to give him a race seat.

[photographer] Be there at 90 degrees.
Then you're gonna look to the camera.

[Ricciardo] Yep.

There's still question marks

of what happened at McLaren
over the last couple of years.

So it's inevitable that there's gonna be
a lot of pressure on him.

[photographer] Three, two, one, go.

-Got it. Great.
-Nailed it!

[Horner] In Formula 1,
you're judged against your teammate.

We're following Daniel very closely.

He is a prospect for us for 2025
if he delivers.

And, uh, he knows that.

Yeah, mate. [chuckles]

[Horner] But his teammate
at AlphaTauri, Yuki Tsunoda,

also knows that,
and will be looking to make sure

that he's putting himself
at the forefront of our mind as well.

[funky music plays]

[Tsunoda] This is so good!

[Italiano] They're generous
with the syrup.

[Tsunoda] Ah.

Sticky fingers. That's risky business.

-It's so good.
-Is it good?

Oh yeah.

[Italiano] We've gone there every morning.
It's worth it.

Worth it. Definitely worth it!

-Ciao.
-[woman] Ciao!

[Tsunoda laughs]

-[woman] We're going upstairs.
-[Tsunoda] Okay.

-[reporter] Hi, Yuki-san.
-[Tsunoda] Hello.

Now you've got Daniel as a teammate.

He's already made clear
he wants to go back to Red Bull.

So, how are you viewing this dynamic now
between you and Daniel?

You both want a Red Bull seat
should it ever happen, so...

Well...

Either driver will be slower,

and the slower guy
won't make it to Red Bull.

That's easy, so...

The faster guy, anyway,
will have more chance to go to Red Bull.

So it's how it works in,
I guess, Formula 1.

And... yeah, um, that's it.

Having Daniel as second driver
is a bit strange,

but it's not just about the Red Bull seat.

What I want, um,

is to show my value as a driver.

Um, how good I am.

So I will just have to keep
delivering the results.

-Ciao.
-[man] How are you, Yuki?

Bene. Tutto bene?

[commentator 2] We're in Zandvoort.
It's time for second practice.

[man] White suits you better than orange.

-Thank you.
-[man laughs]

[Ricciardo] I'm really excited
to drive again.

I think that'll bring out a lot
of confidence and a lot of joy in me

and, hopefully, give me a chance
to show my true self.

To have Yuki as a teammate,

it's another challenge.

Curious to see how... how he performs.

[Tsunoda] Daniel and me,
it's quite different how we drive.

That's because he's the one
racing with similar conditions.

You wanna beat your teammate.

-[Hamelin] Work on the speed.
-Okay, understood.

[tense music plays]

-[Spini] Okay, let's go.
-Okay.

[tense music continues]

[Hamelin] Position is good.

Okay. Understood.

[Hamelin] Yuki aborted the previous lap.
He will be pushing. I'll keep you posted.

[tense music continues]

[Spini] Very good job, Yuki.

[Tsunoda] Let's keep pushing.
Let's get this.

[Hamelin] Okay, Yuki found a bit of time
braking turn one.

Understood.

[Ricciardo] Yuki, I think he's fast.

I'm not saying he's gonna be easy
or anything, but I'm not worried.

[exciting music plays]

-[Hamelin] Position is good.
-Okay, understood.

[exciting music continues]

[Hamelin] Piastri ahead.

[exciting music continues]

[commentator 1] Ricciardo
approaching the same corner.

[brakes screech]

[Hamelin] Are you okay?

Are you okay?

[Ricciardo groans]

f*ck!

My hand. f*ck.

[groans]

[Horner] Hey.

Okay, and he's in a lot of pain or...?

Oh sh*t.

[sirens wail]

[Horner] Oh sh*t.

[somber music plays]

[music stops]

[clicks tongue] Yeah.

You know when you break a bone.

It's just a different pain.

You don't wanna believe it,

but... deep down, I knew, like,
"Yeah, this isn't... this isn't good."

Surgery is really the only way
we can fix this.

The first feeling is, minimum six weeks.
It's gonna be a while.

What does this now mean moving forward?

[sighs]

[Buxton] It's game over.

Game over.

There is no way
you come back from that injury quickly.

And there's no way that, once you do,

you are anywhere near the driver
that you could and should be

for the remainder of the season.

[reporter in Italian] Daniel Ricciardo
has already gone to Barcelona

to get surgery.

He must be undergoing surgery.

[Williams in English]
This is the nightmare scenario.

When you have a driver
that injures himself

and you've quickly got to plug the gap,

you end up scrambling,

and it's a really difficult,
stressful position

that you'll find yourself in.

That's your driver.

What do you do?

f*ck! I was on a really good lap.

Damn it!

So I say...

"Hi, I'm Liam Lawson."

-[producer 1] Don't say, "Hi."
-Don't say, "Hi"?

Okay. I'm Liam Lawson.

I've been part of the Red Bull
junior program for five years,

and, uh, this is my second year
as Red Bull and AlphaTauri reserve.

-[chuckles]
-[producer 2] Again. Hold it a bit higher.

Did I not click it right?

-I have to do the whole thing again?
-[producer 1] Yeah.

[Lawson] The point of the...
of the junior program is to, I guess,

shape drivers up to get into Formula 1
and work out whether they're good enough.

And for me,
it was the only way that I could race.

We didn't have the money to go and do F3
or anything like that.

So without them, I would have never,

um, never come close to Formula 1.

Most people, to be honest, are like,
"Where in Monaco are you living?"

It's like, "Well...

yeah, I don't."

You don't get paid anything in Formula 2.

So literally, until you crack F1,

that's the point where you actually
can start making money.

I knew I wanted to be a racing driver
from when I was very, very young,

and I... I was always interested in cars.

I mean, everything with an engine.
Like, it wasn't just cars.

It was bikes, it was tractors,
it was trucks. Everything.

Mate, let's get this lowered
'cause it is a little bit shocking how...

-[Lawson] Back's all right. Just front.
-Yeah.

So you're probably gonna take,
like, a thumb out of it, basically. Yeah.

How many reserve drivers actually get used
now you've managed to step up and...

[Lawson] I just... I hope that I, you know...

I know it's the only, like, showing
I'm probably ever gonna get in F1

to show something.

I haven't spent much time in an F1 car.

So there's many things, starts, pit stops,
things like that, I've never done.

[Smith] Do you think that you'll be judged
against Yuki on how you perform?

[Lawson] For sure.

But, obviously,
I hope that there's some consideration

that he's been in the car
a couple of years.

-I don't know how it's gonna be.
-[Smith] No, there has to be.

Your big F1 shot.
All the family are gonna get to see it.

Gotta make the most of it.

[Smith] It'll be all the time soon.
Don't worry.

We'll see. I hope so.

-I believe. Don't worry. I know it will.
-Thanks, dude.

-It's just round the corner, dude, 100%.
-I hope so.

[upbeat music plays]

The quicker we can
get to the air conditioning, the better.

-[fan] This is for you!
-[Hamilton] Ah, thank you.

Can I get a photo?

[Tsunoda in Japanese] Shall I
autograph your cap? You drop it.

[fan] That'll be great.
Thank you. Just drop it?

[in English] Ever gonna be
this hot in New Zealand?

-Not this humid.
-Yeah.

-This hot, but just...
-Yeah.

Like, humidity is crazy.

-Oh, my parents are here already.
-Uh-huh.

Early birds.

-[Lawson] Thanks for coming.
-Nice to meet you.

[Lawson] This is my trainer.

How long have you been here?

We literally just walked in,
like, literally 30 seconds ago.

[Lawson] Yeah, it's super warm.
If you want...

[Dad] Your shirt's quite nice!

[Lawson] My parents have basically
sacrificed everything

for me to... to be a racing driver.

My dad's been with me since I was
six years old in go-karts, so, um...

It's a very big deal for me,

but I think it's just as big
for my dad and my family.

Stand in front of that to cool down.

[Mom] Man!

I've been in the pool
three times already today.

-In and out.
-[woman] Just feel free.

As a kid, my dad would always promise
he'd take me to Singapore.

We never went.

But I know it extremely well from... from,
uh, being a kid playing it on F1 games.

Obviously, it's very different
doing it in person,

so I'm feeling very, very nervous
to... to jump in.

[man] Yeah, I always think he starts on...
I'm, like, thinking they're late.

-Hello.
-[Verstappen] You all right?

All good.

[Alonso] When did you get here?

This morning. Hey, mate.

[Lawson] Hey. How you doing?

Not so bad. Yourself?

[Lawson] Good. It's nice in here.
It's hot outside.

-[Verstappen] Get ready for the race.
-I know.

[laughter]

It's gonna be warm.

It's a warm one.

You're gonna be praying for it to finish
since lap three.

[Patrick] You're not guaranteed
to be a Formula 1 driver

just because you're a reserve driver
or just because you want to.

A lot of people want to.

This could be his only opportunity

to really prove himself
in a Formula 1 car.

He's probably sh1tting himself.

[commentator 1] Welcome to Marina Bay.

We are about to enter
a wide-open qualifying session

for the Singapore Grand Prix.

-Okay, ready?
-Yeah.

[man] And as soon as the car is finished,
you can jump in.

[Lawson] I feel really stressed.

Just sort of anxiety.

Because of the track, the situation,
I know it's gonna be extremely tough.

I know I'm probably gonna be
at the very back.

There's gonna be so much to learn

before trying to put
the best possible lap into it.

But it's something
that I've been asking for

for a long time.

So it's realizing
how important this is gonna be.

My future will be judged
on what I'm doing here.

[tense music plays]

The moment of truth.

[Bayer] There's 20 seats in Formula 1.

Every racing driver is dreaming
about getting one of those seats.

[Hamelin] Okay, Liam.

Thirty seconds.

Copy.

[tense music continues]

[Buxton] It's very hard to impress

when you're in a car
that's the least competitive in the field.

The odds are stacked against him.

[commentator 3] There's the green light,
as we head into Qualifying.

[Bird] Okay, Checo. Push on.

[Pérez] Copy.

[tense music plays]

[commentator 2] Sergio Pérez has lost it
coming out of turn three.

[Pérez groans]

[Pérez] f*ck!

[commentator 2] That lap puts him 13th.

Sergio Pérez will not make the top ten
in Qualifying.

[commentator 1]
But here comes Max Verstappen.

[dramatic music plays]

[Lambiase] Continue to keep positive.

[commentator 2]
Max Verstappen also struggling.

[dramatic music continues]

[music crescendos, stops]

[Verstappen] That was f*cking shocking.
The car is really bad.

[commentator 1] Here goes Yuki Tsunoda.

[Spini] Okay, let's go.

[tense music plays]

[Lambiase] Tsunoda behind. Timed lap.

[tense music continues]

Bro, what the f*ck, man? Honestly!

[commentator 1] Verstappen
gets in the way of Tsunoda.

-[Spini] Now we need to box, Yuki.
-[Tsunoda] You're kidding?!

[commentator 2] That's cost AlphaTauri
and Tsunoda massively.

He qualifies 15th.

All hopes now rest with rookie, Lawson.

[tense music plays]

[Hamelin] Okay, Liam,
let's see how we end up.

[tense music plays]

[Lawson] I feel massive, massive nerves.

The biggest pressure
is knowing that I have this opportunity,

but I need to deliver.

[tense music continues]

[Hamelin] That was good.

Position is very good.

[commentator 3] Here comes Liam Lawson!

[commentator 4] Can he keep it together
through these last few corners?

[tense music continues]

[Hamelin] Okay, P10.

[commentator 2] Liam Lawson
beats Max Verstappen in Qualifying!

Lawson puts the AlphaTauri
into the top ten

at the expense
of the reigning world champion!

[woman] Oh my God!

Yeah. Strong.

He's, uh... he's impressive.

We'll have some interesting discussions
for the lineup.

[both chuckle]

[reporter] If anybody told you,
even before the start of Qualifying,

that you were gonna be the fastest
of the four Red Bull drivers,

what would you have said?

[exhales] Uh...

I mean, I dunno, to be honest.

Um, obviously, it's not what you expect.

Not even something,
to be honest, I really realized, um...

But, um, there's still
more potential there.

-Well done, man.
-[Lawson] Thanks.

-You're driving so well.
-Thank you.

[Buxton] Liam is laying down
the foundations here

of a driver that cannot be ignored.

How good is that?

Ah, you did so good!

[Lawson] I'm sweaty.

[woman] It's okay.

Top job, buddy.
That was exactly what you needed to do.

[funky music plays]

What's up? What's up?

[Ricciardo] So in the end, it was
fifth metacarpal which I broke.

Spiral fracture.

So seven pieces.

Surgery. Plate. Eight screws.

So, uh, it's gonna be a while.

Tell me what you can tolerate.

[grunts] Don't. Hurts.

The thing that hurt the most was...

[sighs]

...I felt like I'd worked myself back
to such a good place.

'Cause I feel like,
after the last couple of years,

I really didn't want this
to kind of throw me back.

It's funny how your confidence
can change so quickly.

Yeah.

[exciting music plays]

[commentator 3] It's the Formula 1
Singapore Grand Prix for 2023.

Stand by for a hot one tonight.

How are you, boys?

-[Wolff] How is it?
-[Brown] How's the hand?

-Bad?
-It was.

-[Brown] Worse than you thought?
-[Ricciardo] Yeah.

-[Brown] Ooh man, they chopped it up good.
-[Ricciardo] Yeah.

[tense music plays]

[Ricciardo] Kinda me going back
to the track, it's definitely not easy.

[tense music continues]

[music fades]

[Ricciardo] Singapore's tough.
Like, it's a street circuit.

It's... It's physical,
so curious to see how Liam performs.

[tense music plays]

[Buxton] The Singapore Grand Prix
is unforgiving.

Drivers will lose

somewhere between three
and four kilos of weight

over the course of the grand prix.

That's about three or four liters
of bodily fluid,

which affects not only,
uh, bodily function

but cognitive function.

It has 50% more corners

than most normal race circuits.

It's probably twice as hot
as most race circuits.

And being a street circuit,

and being funneled
within those concrete walls,

where the slightest mistake
puts you out of the race,

there probably isn't a greater challenge
on the Formula 1 calendar.

[tense music continues]

[in Italian] Okay. Let's go, guys.

[Bayer in English] You know,
being last in the championship,

the pressure on everyone is huge.

And... And for the team to lose Daniel,

an experienced driver,

was like cutting off a leg.

-Might be your day, man.
-Thank you.

-Go and get them. Go and get them.
-I will. Thank you.

[Bayer] The challenge
for a young driver is huge.

So we basically tell them
in the first place,

"Go out, enjoy the moment,

you know, and try to adapt
as quickly as you can."

Have a good race. Ciao.

But to win points,

uh, to climb the championship ladder,

you know, we need Liam to deliver.

[Lawson] You spend your whole career
trying to get into F1,

and it's that realization of,

all of that has prepared you
for this exact moment.

It's starting to become very, very real.

[tense music plays]

I need to deliver, or I'm done.

[commentator 3] It's lights out,
and away we go!

[exciting music plays]

[commentator 1] Verstappen
gets a better start and overtakes Lawson.

[commentator 2] Gasly also
getting the better of Lawson.

[Hamelin] Try to put the pressure on now.

Copy.

[commentator 1] Yuki Tsunoda in 15th
and under pressure from Sergio Pérez.

[Spini] Pérez behind. Careful.

[tense music plays]

[Tsunoda] I have a puncture, I think.

[Spini] Yuki, stop the engine
as soon as you can.

Stop the engine as soon as you can.

[commentator 2] Yuki Tsunoda
out of this race.

[Spini] P0. Safe, jump out.

[Tsunoda] Just Pérez, honestly.

[Hamelin] Okay, Liam,
so that's currently P14.

Let's fight our way up now.

[Lawson] Yeah, I'm trying.
Starting to struggle, mate.

[tense music plays]

Oh, come on, Liam, come on.

-[Hamelin] Put the pressure on.
-Copy.

[tense music plays]

[Hamelin] DRS enabled. DRS enabled.

[tense music continues]

[Hamelin] Good job, Liam.
Keep the pressure up.

[Lawson] Copy.

[commentator 3] Liam Lawson
has gone ahead of Valtteri Bottas,

and moved up into 13th place.

He wants this spot.
He wants to keep this spot.

[commentator 2] Liam Lawson
takes advantage and gains a place.

[Hamelin] Currently P12.

[tense music plays]

[commentator 2] Both Red Bulls
now coming into the pits.

They'll both come out behind Liam Lawson.

[tense music continues]

[Hamelin] And, Liam, currently P10.

[Lawson] Copy.

[commentator 3] Ooh,
this is Esteban Ocon pulling off

on the inside of turn two.

[Hamelin] And currently P9.

[Lawson] What's our closest threat?

[Hamelin] We are racing Max.
We are racing Verstappen.

He's behind.

Focus on the front.
You keep your position.

[tense music plays]

[Hamelin] And if you're able to defend,
we need clean laps.

Clean laps. Keep it steady.

[tense music continues]

-[Verstappen] Agh.
-[Lambiase] Just keep pushing.

[Hamelin] Very, very good. Keep digging.

[tense music continues]

[commentator 1] Liam Lawson fending off
two-time world champion Max Verstappen.

[tense music continues]

[Hamelin] Good job.

[man] It'd be awesome if he could do it.

Look at the pace of Max though.
Jesus Christ.

[tense music continues]

[commentator 2] Lawson did
make that difficult for Verstappen.

He's still in line to score points.

[Hamelin] Okay, keep your head down.
We're in a good place. Head down.

[dramatic music plays]

[car thuds]

f*ck!

No!

[Hamelin] Two more laps. Currently P9.

We fight to the flag. Let's make it.

[dramatic music plays]

Come on, boy!

[dramatic music continues]

[commentator 1] This would be the highest
finish for an AlphaTauri driver

and their biggest points haul
of the season.

[Hamelin] And that's P9.

[cheering]

[commentator 3] Liam Lawson
deserves a round of applause

for a first-ever points finish
in Formula 1!

That is a huge achievement
for Liam Lawson.

[team member] f*ck, yes, he did it!

[Lawson] Mate, I gave that everything.
There's nothing left.

[Hamelin] That's what we need.
That's why you're here, mate.

[Lawson] Thank you, guys,
for the hard work.

It's good to get a couple of points.

[man] Well done. That was all right.
We got something.

[cheering]

[fan] Liam!

Great job!

[cheering]

[Buxton] Liam's performances
give Red Bull management

and AlphaTauri management
a massive headache.

Because he's been too good.

That is so awesome!

I think I'm gonna cry.

You're allowed to cry though, eh, Dad?
You're allowed to cry.

You have to. It's good.

[Buxton] They now have three drivers
for two seats.

They have Daniel, they have Yuki,

and Liam Lawson
has very much entered the chat.

Oh my God.

[Dad] I'm so proud of you.

[woman] I'm so proud of you.

[Lawson] Thank you.

-Sweating a bit much though, eh?
-[Lawson] Yeah.

[Mom] You made us all cry.

He did a great job. It was, you know...

Brought some questions

of, you know,
should Liam be on the grid in 2024?

Has he done enough?

And if so, which driver should he replace?

[upbeat music plays]

I saw there were two trap bars.
I feel I got the bigger one, at least.

This says 50 kilos, not 15.

-Uh, actually, I'll wait for you, Blake.
-[Friend] For what?

[Ricciardo] You know, I can't really, uh...
I'm pretty useless. Only got one hand.

So I kind of refuse
to even call this, like, a setback.

It was just all part of the comeback.

I think there's a lot to prove,

I would say to myself.

I wish Zandvoort didn't happen.

I was like, "Okay.
I need to get back in an F1 car."

I'm 34.

But... after everything
that's kinda happened...

I'm ready to, like, take this one on.

So yeah, F1 or nothing.

[funky music plays]

[commentator 3] Welcome to Suzuka.
It's race day.

It's Japanese Grand Prix day.

It's round 17
of the Formula 1 World Championship.

Konnichiwa.

[Buxton] Coming into the Japanese
Grand Prix, there are rumors

that AlphaTauri are poised
to confirm their driver lineup for 2024.

It's a nice problem to have.

Three really competitive drivers
for two seats.

Oh wow.

[fans shout]

[Tsunoda] Wow, wow, wow, it's crazy.

Crazy, man.

[Buxton] For Yuki,
it is a home grand prix.

So that's big pressure for Yuki.

-Make sure you go... Oh my God.
-Oh boy.

-[fan 1] Sign, please.
-Okay, I will.

-[fan 1] Yuki, please, please.
-I will.

I get it, I get it.

-Sorry.
-Making the fans happy.

-[fan 2] Arigato!
-Ah, the pen.

Mate, I'll pour this over your head.

-If you do that...
-It's cold. What would you do?

You don't wanna know.

-Oh really?
-Yeah.

As soon as you realize,
you're in the ground.

[Lawson laughs]

[tense music plays]

[Buxton] Liam's gonna want to impress.

It's on him to prove
that he deserves the seat.

[tense music crescendos]

[commentator 1] And the Japanese
Grand Prix is go!

[dramatic music plays]

[commentator 5] A move here
between the two AlphaTauris.

[commentator 3] Yuki Tsunoda
on the inside of his teammate Liam Lawson

as they go wheel-to-wheel.

[dramatic music continues]

-[Hamelin] Be careful with Yuki.
-[Lawson] Copy.

[dramatic music continues]

[Tsunoda] No, that's so close! What?!

[dramatic music continues]

[commentator 3] And it looks like just
they avoided contact,

and Liam Lawson stays ahead
of his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda.

Liam, literally, is so aggressive.

So dangerous, honestly.

Copy, Yuki. Noted.

[Hamelin] Liam, currently P11.
Keep the head down.

Yuki, 3.0 behind.

[Lawson] Copy.

[dramatic music plays]

[Spini] Okay, Yuki, we are fighting Liam.
We need to keep pushing.

[Tsunoda] Copy.

[dramatic music continues]

[Hamelin] Okay, Liam. Yuki is 2.8 behind.

Compared to Yuki,
we are losing a little bit.

[Lawson] Copy.

[commentator 1] Yuki Tsunoda is
catching up on his teammate, Liam Lawson.

[Hamelin] Yuki, 2.0 behind.

[dramatic music plays]

-[Spini] Yuki, let's go. Keep pushing.
-[Tsunoda] Yeah.

[Hamelin] Okay, Yuki, 1.7.

One more lap.

Okay, that's Yuki, 1.2.

Head down.

Copy.

-[Spini] Yuki, push, push.
-Yeah, yeah, don't worry!

[Hamelin] Push hard if you have anything.

[dramatic music continues]

[commentator 1] Liam Lawson
beats his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda!

[Hamelin] Good effort again. P11.

[Lawson] Awesome! Nice! Good work, guys.

-[Hamelin] Good laps. Very good job.
-[Lawson] Yeah, copy.

-[Hamelin] You had a good start.
-[Lawson] I know.

I had so much caffeine before the race.
f*cking lit me up!

[Spini] Checkered flag. P12.

[Tsunoda] That was so sh*t.

Not happy. Frustrated.

As a Japanese, they're supporting me,

and I wanna make good results
for appreciation to them.

Another good race by, uh, Liam, huh?

But he is a tough racer.

Yuki...

Yeah?

...will learn it all the hard way.

[Lawson] Finishing ahead, um, of Yuki,
obviously, it's... it was good.

I was happy with how the race went.

But to be honest, it's been really hard
to actually enjoy it.

I guess until I have that... that security

or having that contract
for a full-time seat,

um, it's hard to... to really enjoy it.

[Horner] Ah, here he is.
Have you... Just two minutes.

Let's go and have a quick chat.

From your perspective,
you're doing a great job.

What you've done so far has impressed me.

It's impressed everybody in the team.

Um...

So they're gonna announce Daniel and Yuki.
It goes out in the morning.

-Okay?
-[Lawson] Okay.

[Horner] Stay positive.
You will get your chance.

It's tough knowing
that I don't get the seat

even though I've beaten
the guy that's getting a seat.

[melancholy music plays]

I don't know how
to f*cking answer that, honestly.

Because it's meant to be me, so...

-Bye, guys.
-[man] See you, Liam.

[Lawson] Ciao, guys. See you later.

[melancholy music continues]

[Lawson] Obviously, it's frustrating.

There's a lot of things going on,
to be honest, so it's... it's, um... Yeah.

I think, uh, emotionally
and... and mentally,

pretty draining, yeah.

[Buxton] Formula 1,

it's never just about the stopwatch.

There's politics.

Big business.

Sponsorship. Popularity.

A myriad of considerations

for every seat.

He's a great young man, Liam, who...
you know, who has... has lots of talent,

but I believe nowadays in Formula 1,

you... you know, you need experience.

And so we believe that Daniel and Yuki,

with... with Liam as a reserve driver
for both teams,

uh, is the right choice.

-Daniel on the way.
-[Tsunoda] Yeah.

We will have consistency
and continuity with Yuki.

And Daniel's seen
how Liam's done in that car.

The expectation is
for him to carry that on.

But he's just got to refine
that form, that motivation,

uh, that he had.

Uh, that we remember
in his time at... at Red Bull.

[crowd cheering]

[upbeat music plays]

[commentator 2] Welcome from Mexico City.

It's time for an F1 fiesta
here this afternoon.

[man] Sí, señor!

[upbeat music continues]

[fan] Checo!

I love you!

We're in Mexico, apparently.
I think it suits me. I like it.

[Ricciardo] Okay. Thanks, buddy.

All right.

-[man] Morning.
-Morning.

[man] Race day!

-[Ricciardo] Best day of the week.
-[man] Exactly.

[Ricciardo] Coming into Mexico, I have,

like, the butterflies again
and... and those, like, nerves.

[fan 1] Can I take a picture
with you, Daniel?

[fan 2] Can you say something in Spanish?

-Hola.
-[fan laughs]

[Ricciardo] But I'm ready.

[fan 3] Ricciardo! I love you, Ricciardo.

Like, yeah, okay,
will I feel a little bit of pain?

Maybe, but nothing
that's gonna hinder my performance

or be an excuse.

[tense music plays]

[crowd roars]

AlphaTauri, plum last in the Championship.

An uncompetitive car.
Daniel has to giant-k*ll.

This is his one shot, now,
to score points.

Yes, Christian has a soft spot for him,
but that's not enough.

He has to show he's back to his best,

he's back to the driver
that they remember him being.

[Bayer] Our expectations
towards Daniel are high.

I'm very concerned

because currently, we are P10.

In the world-championship rankings,
we're last.

Racing in P10, for us,
simply is not an option.

Daniel will have to deliver points.

[tense music plays]

[Hamelin] Everything okay with the car?
No issues to report?

Um, no, all is okay.

[Ricciardo] After everything
that's kinda happened,

I would love to give this team
some better results.

[Hamelin] Okay, last car is stopping now.

[commentator 2] Lights out,
and away we go.

[tense music plays]

[commentator 3] Pérez
goes round the outside!

Pérez makes contact with Charles Leclerc!

But it's all over in a heartbeat
for Sergio Pérez.

[Pérez sighs] f*ck's sake!

[Spini] Yuki, please lift off the brakes.

Overtake available.

[commentator 3] Oscar Piastri
under pressure from Yuki Tsunoda.

Gonna force Tsunoda
round the outside. Contact!

[Tsunoda] f*ck, man!

[groaning]

[commentator 3]
The two drivers making contact.

Going round the outside
has proved to be not the best route.

[Hamelin] Okay, Daniel, Yuki lost the car
in turn one fighting Piastri,

so he's at the back now.

Understood.

[commentator 2] Ricciardo in seventh
place, but P6 might be within reach.

[Hamelin] Four laps to go.

Head down. Clean laps.

[Ricciardo] Happy with some radio silence,
unless it's important.

[Hamelin] I will only keep you
updated on pace, but this pace is good.

[exciting music plays]

[Stallard] Ricciardo, two seconds.
Oscar, the plan is to attack Ricciardo.

[Hamelin] Daniel, I'll leave you alone.

[commentator 3]
Oscar Piastri. He's gaining!

[Hamelin] Okay, push hard, push hard.

[dramatic music plays]

[Stallard] One lap to go.

We'll be close with Ricciardo.
Let's keep the pace up.

[Hamelin] Fighting Piastri.

[Stallard] Ricciardo 0.7.

[commentator 1] Ricciardo trying to hold
on to seventh as Piastri now closes in.

[Stallard] 0.5.

[dramatic music plays]

[Stallard] 0.3.

Use the overtake.

[dramatic music continues]

[music fades]

[commentator 2] Ricciardo finishes seventh
and that was a cracking drive from him!

[Hamelin] P7.

[cheering]

[Hamelin] Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay.

All right!

[Hamelin] Enchanté!

[Ricciardo] Enchanté, mon ami.

Cool.

f*cking hell. Well done.

Well done, guys.

Seeing Daniel performing,
you know, moving from P10 to P8,

it means everything.

We won't be last.

For Daniel, for the team, for everyone,

it's... simply an amazing feeling.

[commentator 2] That one drive lifts
AlphaTauri off the bottom of the table.

[laughter]

[Bayer] There you go. Grazie.

No risk, no fun, huh?

[laughter]

[Bayer] We're all chasing points.

We're chasing, you know,
the... the prize money that comes with it.

But ultimately, it's also, you know,
confirming to yourself and the world

that, you know,
y-you actually know how to do it.

It's... It's a glorious moment for the team.

Forza!

[fan] Checo, Checo!

-[Horner] Yeah, shame for Checo.
-[man] It was tough.

[Horner] One good, one not so good.
Daniel drove a very good race.

[Buxton] Great drive. Congrats.

-[Ricciardo] Thanks.
-[fan] Daniel, can I have your cap?

[reporter] First points of the season.

It was huge.
To do, uh, six points, I'm very happy.

You know, it's definitely more fun
fighting at the front. [laughs]

It's, um... It just feels better.

It feels right,
so, uh, happy with the weekend,

and we'll try to keep this thing rolling.

-[reporter] Thank you.
-[man] Well done.

-[fan 1] Here, please.
-[fan 2] A picture.

Daniel! Daniel!

[Buxton] Daniel did an incredible job
in that car.

[fan 3] Daniel, can you sign here?

[Buxton] But it's not over, this story.

[fan 5] Daniel!

[Buxton] Christian knows Daniel's focus
is on returning to Red Bull Racing.

What does that mean for Checo

and for Yuki?

If Daniel goes to Red Bull,

it frees a place up for Liam Lawson.

I think this is only part one
of a far wider story.

[commentator 1] Welcome
to fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada!

That is the glitz and the glam.

[commentator 1] We're blasting down
one of the most famous miles

on planet Earth.

[Buxton] Two races left in the fight for
second in the Constructors Championship,

and you put your money on black...

[Russell] f*ck!

[Buxton] ...or put it on red.

[Sainz] Oh, f*cking hell!

It's Mercedes versus Ferrari.

[Hamilton] They're pushing big time.

[Bono] Really good stuff. Close that gap.

[commentator 1] Verstappen wins
the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix!

[Leclerc] Where are we?

[closing theme music plays]

[music fades]