Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has agreed with Lewis Hamilton that Formula 1 is currently like the “Kardashians on wheels”, following the impact that Netflix docuseries ‘Drive to Survive’ has had on the sport.
The hit Netflix series has played an instrumental role in the current popularity boom that F1 is enjoying, with the sport having seen a significant rise across the pond in particular.
It’s brought a whole new fanbase to F1, with the bulk of it coming from North America.
North America’s newfound interest in the pinnacle of motorsport is part of the reason why the continent is having a greater influence on the calendar, with five race taking place across Canada, Mexico and the United States this year.
Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies
With so many new fans having discovered F1 through ‘Drive to Survive’, it’s seen a greater emphasis on the off-track drama, given how much of this is shown in the series.
As a result, Horner believes a lot of the new fans would stop watching F1 should the Netflix series either change its style or stop altogether.
“I think with the audience that we’ve attracted probably not,” Horner told the Financial Times, when asked if the new fans would keep watching F1 should the Netflix series change or stop.
“I mean, we are now the Kardashians on wheels.
“I mean you’re just looking for Guenther Steiner to lose it, or for my friend Toto [Wolff] and I to have a little bit of jousting.”
Horner’s comments are very similar to what Hamilton said last year, with the seven-time World Champion having also labelled F1 as a “Kardashian show”.
“I mean, it feels like a bit of a Kardashian show happening here,” Hamilton told Channel 4 last year.
“It’s pretty hilarious, some of the stuff that I’ve heard over the past few days has been so entertaining. I’m sure it’ll all be on Netflix, it’s going to be great.”
Whilst Horner and Hamilton might think F1 has become a bit of a reality TV show, the Red Bull boss was quick to praise ‘Drive to Survive’ for all the good it’s done for F1.
Horner believes the series has “opened up” the sport, with the behind-the-scenes clips showing what really goes on beyond the racetrack.
“It gets you behind the scenes to know the personalities of the drivers a little more and exposes the characters,” Horner said.
READ: Aston Martin warned Fernando Alonso will show his true colours amid Lance Stroll bromance
“And it’s not just about the front of the field. It’s about the trials and tribulations that go on down the grid, at the back of the grid, what they’re fighting for.
“So I think what it has done is it has just opened up all…If you watch just the grand prix, you get the entertainment of that race, but you don’t get that behind-the-scenes look into what goes on.
“So I think that’s the dynamic that it has completely changed, and Formula 1, to a degree, it is a bit of a soap opera. I mean the way it operates, the characters involved, the money involved, the politics. There’s so much going on in the sport outside of the cars driving for two hours on a Sunday afternoon.”