Netflix pitlane soap opera Drive to Survive has Formula 1 in the fast lane
While teams may not like the level of intrusion, the Netflix Drive to Survive series has boosted F1 audiences.
Walking in a Formula 1 paddock is an assault on the senses; throngs of VIPs desperate for a glimpse of the drivers, team principals dashing from hospitality suite to garage and loud warnings of mechanics as they transport huge racks of tyres.
Since the introduction of Netflix’s Drive to Survive series in 2019 there has been another ever-present: a large boom microphone. It has allowed for unparalleled access and given Netflix’s crew a front-row seat to some of the most crucial conversations in the paddock. It has also attracted a whole new audience to the sport, becoming a “necessary evil” as one source jokingly described it, with an extra pair of eyes and ears on the teams’ every action, increasing the demands on them in an already hectic 24-race schedule.
Over the winter break, Netflix has had the unenviable job of editing one of the most exciting and newsworthy seasons in recent memory into 10 episodes. The material is plentiful, from the ramifications of Lewis Hamilton’s move from Mercedes to Ferrari, the allegations of a female employee about team principal Christian Horner, which left Red Bull in turmoil in the opening weeks of the season, to a fascinating title race.
The boom microphone was there for it all. Sometimes that is simply footage from a press conference, but the microphone, with a large extension, also allows the program makers to record footage from above, where participants may not even realise they are being recorded. Everyone in the paddock knows that few conversations remain a secret.
The new season of the documentary will be released on March 7. Contrary to what fans may expect, teams do not have a veto for footage they are unhappy with or paints them in a bad light. They can refuse certain scenes only if they have commercial or competitive concerns. For example, too much filming of a certain part of the car or focus on the steering wheel and its functions would not be permitted, in case it gave a rival an advantage.
Certain storylines, such as cheating allegations over technicalities, which some members of the paddock would argue are crucial to the narrative, are usually only covered briefly or omitted entirely – in some cases because they are too complex for the average Drive to Survive viewer, and the sport does not want to be portrayed in a negative light.
Teams are usually shown the clips involving them in advance, but not set in the context of the entire episode. Netflix has the creative licence, therefore, to sequence scenes in a way that can push a particular narrative or emphasise it more than the reality.
Many of the rivalries and natural differences in personalities are “real” – for example, the frosty relationship between Horner and Toto Wolff, his Mercedes counterpart – but are magnified and exaggerated on screen by the edit. All teams have a huge number of requests from Netflix for access to drivers and team principals but the vast majority of footage is left on the cutting-room floor, particularly for smaller teams who may not even get an episode focused on them. This is a frustration, given access to those key figures is hugely valuable and effectively becomes a waste of their time.
Requests at the circuits are more straightforward than the scenes that are increasingly desired from hotel rooms and training facilities. Some teams are simply unable to offer these, or their drivers do not wish to do so.
Max Verstappen refused to take part in any direct interviews for the fourth season of the show, feeling it was “over the top” and faked some rivalries for entertainment purposes.
He has since returned, citing his responsibility as world champion to be part of something which has undoubtedly helped to expose Formula 1 to new, lucrative markets, including female fans and younger audiences, not to mention huge growth in the US, where there are now three races each year.
Statistics show that of the 45 million Formula 1 fans in the US, half only started following the sport in the past five years, which directly coincides with the success of Drive to Survive.
The average TV viewership in the US on ESPN has doubled since 2018 and, as The Times reported exclusively this month, Netflix is now considering a bid for those rights. Formula 1 has a global fan base of 750 million – up more than 40 per cent since 2018 – and is the world’s most popular annual sporting series.
Off the back of that colossal audience, Netflix has developed stars of its own; Guenther Steiner, the former Haas team principal, was hugely popular thanks to his honest, and often expletive-laden soundbites, while the Red Bull technician Calum Nicholas has written his own book off the back of the platform the series afforded him.
Favourites such as Steiner and Nicholas have developed organically from the fans’ reaction to those personalities over the course of filming.
Daniel Ricciardo, who was sacked mid-season by Visa Cash App Red Bull, is another star of the series, and his departure is expected to be covered in detail.
Steiner, and the proliferation of swearing generally in the series, is a controversial topic given it is at odds with the approach of Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the FIA president, who has called for a crackdown on expletives.
That juxtaposition summarises the curious success of Drive to Survive; in a sport shrouded in secrecy and fiercely competitive, paddock access can pose issues, but Liberty Media’s gamble to try something that is against Formula 1’s traditional instincts has allowed it to expand exponentially.
To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Register
Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout