The best things in life usually aren’t planned. Sometimes they start as a casual interest, turn into a harmless obsession, and before you know it, you look back and realize it was all kind of meant to happen.

Let’s rewind to February 2022, when we pressed play on Drive to Survive for the very first time. Neither of us knew anything about Formula 1, but we had heard a lot about the docuseries and were curious what all the hype was about. 

Despite being completely new to this world, we had a favorite driver before the episode was even over. Heck, we knew after the first 10 minutes.

Daniel Ricciardo has that effect. He’s funny without trying too hard. Charismatic without being polished. Confident, but openly vulnerable. And while watching Drive to Survive, he let us into his life. 

He struggled. He admitted when things were hard. And no matter what was happening on track, he treated people with kindness and humility. He let fans in on all aspects of his journey, the good and the bad. 

Simply put, it was impossible for us not to root for him.

So, after binging the series faster than we’d like to admit, we dove headfirst into the 2022 Formula 1 racing season and never looked back. We are fangirls to our core, after all. 

Around the same time we were falling down the F1 rabbit hole, we were also launching our podcast, Fan Behavior. Each episode focused on a different fandom, some of which we were a part of and some we were not. We talked about Taylor Swift, Broadway, and even the TV show Love Island. 

But as Formula 1 slowly took over our group chats, our schedules, and, frankly, our entire personalities, we realized we really didn’t want to talk about anything else. So we pivoted and Fan Behavior became an F1 podcast through and through.

We always knew we wanted to create a show that felt different from the typical F1 podcasts out there. We aren’t trying to sound like experts, because we’re not. We’re just fans who fell in love with this sport. We want F1 to feel fun, approachable, and a little less serious, because that’s how we fell in love with it.

As the podcast grew, so did our dreams. We created vision boards and hoped one day we’d get invited to a race, step inside an F1 garage, or be in the same room as the people we talked about every week. But there was always one goal that sat at the very top of the list.

Interview Daniel Ricciardo.

We love a lot of drivers, but Daniel was always the foundation of our show. He was the reason we became such big fans and the reason we felt compelled to start an F1 podcast in the first place. Heck, we openly cried on the podcast after his final race in Singapore (yes, we’re still a little embarrassed).

So when Ford flew us to the 2026 Ford Racing Season Launch and invited us to interview Daniel, it didn’t feel real. In fact, it really didn’t feel real until he was standing in front of us, shaking our hands.

Getting to meet him, thank him, and tell him how much he meant to us was surreal. He was everything we hoped he’d be: warm, funny, thoughtful, and incredibly generous with his time. The kind of person who makes you feel comfortable immediately, even when you’re internally freaking out. And boy, were we freaking out. 

But the best part was getting to share the moment with our audience.

Our listeners have been with us since day one. They know how central Daniel has been to our love of the sport and to the creation of Fan Behavior itself. And watching them celebrate this moment with us, through all the messages, comments, and voice notes, was overwhelming in the best possible way. This interview wasn’t just a career highlight. It was proof that fandom, when shared, can turn into something real and connective. It can open doors you never thought you’d walk through. Thanks to Ford, we got to live out one of our biggest fan dreams with all the people who helped us get here.

And honestly? We’re still not over it.

Learn more about the Fan Behavior Podcast on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube.

Zoe Jewell and Hannah Hall lead the Fan Behavior podcast.