How Netflix changed F1 forever

Albert Park has become the new Flemington as people race to be seen at the Australian Grand Prix.

Generally speaking, car racing is not a glamorous sport.

If you’re a normal punter (and not one of the chosen few in a corporate box) it usually involves sitting on dusty hills, sweating in the sun and eating food predominantly served on sticks.

Fashion – if you could call it that – begins and ends at cargo pants and sensible hats.

Which is fine.

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Casa Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix. Picture: Alastair Brook

If you’re heading to a supercar or GT race you’re not there to be seen, you’re there to watch. Indeed, if there’s any social cache to be gained from Eastern Creek raceway in Western Sydney, I’m yet to find it.

This also used to be the case with Formula 1. But as someone who has been attending races since the long-gone V10 era, things have changed. A lot.

I’ve hardly got the scoop when I say that the Netflix series Drive to Survive has brought a lot of new fans into the sport. What was once an ailing franchise has a new demographic of viewers — there are more women watching than ever before.

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The Australian Grand Prix attracts enormous crowds. Photo: Clive Rose/Getty Images

As well as recounting the behind-the-scenes drama of a racing season, Drive to Survive leans on the visage of wealth and status. We see as much of the drivers and their painfully beautiful partners on private jets as we do cars on the track. It’s like the Kardashians, if the Kardashians occasionally drove at 370 km/hr (then they’d be really hard to keep up with).

But this means fans expect a taste of this luxury when they schlep to Albert Park on a general admission ticket. Frankly, dagwood dogs and tinnies of bundy rum aren’t going to cut it.

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Casa Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix. Picture: Alastair Brook

The Australian Grand Prix has risen to the occasion. It’s even sponsored by Louis Vuitton. Moet is being served in the corporate tents. Food vans are selling $30 lobster rolls.

Even the coffee is gourmet. One enterprising stand was selling a signature ‘lights out’ drink which included espresso, chocolate cream, and orange juice for a mere $14.

If you’re lucky enough to get into the Audi suite – a snip at $5000 for the weekend – your menu will have been curated by celebrity chef Guillaume Brahimi.

Oysters will be consumed on cream couches with a balcony that overlooks the main straight. It’s a better set up than most expensive restaurants.

The cars are just a bonus.

“There’s lots to do, there’s lots to see. Food, drinks atmosphere,” first-time Albert Park visitor Stephanie said.

F1 fan Stephanie in front of the Mecca pop-up at the Australian Grand Prix. Picture: Stephanie Coombes

Stephanie was given a ticket from a friend. I asked if she’d chosen a location to watch the race.

“Are we going to watch the race? What time is it on?”

Stephanie’s not the only one who might not see a car this weekend. These days, the vibe around Albert Park is closer to the Melbourne Cup than a normal motor race. People are well-dressed and designer clothes are easy to spot. Makeup juggernaut Mecca even has a pop-up shop doing makeovers.

I’ll admit that at first I thought this was absurd. But Saturday was so hot that all the foundation I’d applied in the hotel had melted off my face by around midday and I looked a bit like that guy who had opened the Lost Ark in Indiana Jones.

Maybe these new fans were onto something.

The Mecca pop-up at the Australian Grand Prix. Picture: Stephanie Coombes

But not everyone’s happy with the changes. Tamara hasn’t missed a race for 12 years. Every year she’s booked her ticket in May, taking the same grandstand seat on pit straight. But this year she missed out.

“I didn’t win the ticket war,” Tamara said. “I got subject to in-demand pricing that I couldn’t justify. My usual ticket that was $540 was more than a thousand.”

Tamara managed to get a last minute pass for Saturday, but will have to watch the race from home.

“I’ve come to terms with it,” she said.

Mercedes built an off-road park for customers at Albert Park. Picture: Nathan Jacobs

For another long-term fan, Narelle, it’s a relief to have more friends watching Formula 1.

“If eight-year old me knew that I’d have girlfriends coming to the sport with me, I’d be crying happy tears,” she said.

Narelle managed to convert several friends into car racing viewers through the Drive to Survive, they were attending the Albert Park race as a group.

“We’ve got an all-female fantasy league now. It’s great.”

F1 fan Narelle – left – and friends at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix. Picture: Stephanie Coombes

Whether or not you’re a fan of the new face of formula 1, it’s an unquestionable success for attendance. This year’s race sold out in under an hour, the hype only seems to be growing. You wouldn’t have guessed it once, but Albert Park is the new place to be seen.

But only if you’re lucky enough to get a ticket.