Formula 1 is a sport that has been growing globally in recent years and a major reason for this is the Netflix show ‘Drive to Survive’, which initially covered the 2018 season.
The show gives global audiences behind the scenes access to the sport that were unavailable, allowing fans to develop attachments to drivers and other personalities in the paddock.
‘Drive to Survive’ also allows fans to develop a further understanding of the sport while watching the series, therefore giving them the ability to understand and enjoy watching the sport come race weekends.
People like Daniel Ricciardo and Guenther Steiner have massively benefitted from the Netflix series, as the entertainment giants were able to show off their glowing and humorous personalities to people who had previously never seen that side of them.
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Former F1 driver turned pundit David Coulthard praised the show in the wake of the announcement that Season 5, covering the 2022 season, will be released on February 24th.
“There’s always going to be a new wave of fans coming along… there’s definitely a lot more younger men and women who are now into F1,” said the Brit.
“That will find its way down to the next group. It’s not like ‘The Crown’ where you have to start at season one to really understand the journey. The nature of the sport is you can jump in at any point.
“I do see an ongoing interest in this… not scripted, but edited version of the reality. Some of the drivers spoke about that, some of the converstaions being placed in places they weren’t entirely happy about.
“The reality is if it wasn’t done like that it wouldn’t be anywhere near as interesting or as fun. It’s part of the show and it’s part of the entertainment. It makes them all seem more interesting than they are. Most of them are bloody boring, to be honest!”
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Max Verstappen has bene one of the drivers to be critical of Netflix’s storytelling idea, as the Dutchman refused to partake in Season 4 after developing concerns about the way he was being portrayed as a villain.
The 25-year-old is set to return in the upcoming season but has jumped to the defence of ‘great guy’ Lando Norris, who was made out to be a frosty character in Season 4 during his interactions with new teammate Daniel Ricciardo.
The benefits that F1 has seen from ‘Drive to Survive’ are undoubtable, with the American audience in particular growing substantially since the show first aired.