Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has opened up about the agreement the team has with the producers of the popular series ‘Drive to Survive,’ as drivers claim the show is changing the sport.
Horner revealed that, to allow the series access to the paddock while protecting drivers and personnel behind the scenes, teams can veto any content that they don’t want aired.
Calling it a “get out of jail free card”, Horner explained how things that can be blocked include team members swearing and intimate details of the car being revealed.
Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with the Financial Times, Horner stated that: “What you’ve got to remember is that it’s a TV show. They capture hours and hours of content. The problem is they put a microphone on you at the beginning of the day and you forget that they’re there.
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“Then you get to the end of the season and they tend to send you the clips of just you and your team.
“You think ‘Did I really say that? Did I really call someone a ‘See You Next Tuesday’?’ We can say ‘you can’t put that in there, there’s a part of the car you can’t show’. That’s the only get out of jail card we have.”
Verstappen didn’t feature in several series of the show over his irritation about the way they overhyped the drama, returning this year as the reigning Drivers’ champion.
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The insight into the popular series comes as Red Bull dominates the sport in a way that it has never done before, having adapted perfectly to the new era of regulations.
Red Bull currently holds a 100% win record this year, with Max Verstappen having taken three victories, while Sergio Perez has secured the other two.
With five rounds under their belt, Red Bull has a lead of 122 points over nearest rivals Aston Martin, making them the clear favourites to retain the Constructors’ title.