Why Netflix’s creative license is a small price to pay for F1

Today’s Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas marks an important moment for Formula 1 in the USA.

Sixteen years after its low point with the tire fiasco in Indianapolis in 2005, Formula 1 will hit a new high in the American market with a sold out event in Austin.

Since the return of the Grand Prix in 2012 (absent for four years after Indy’s last hurray in 2007), the momentum has developed for F1 in the United States and has continued to accelerate over the past five years under American ownership with Liberty Media. With a second American race planned for next year in Miami and a possible third race being discussed, it is a good time for F1 on US coasts.

Much of the recent growth can be attributed to the success of Drive to Survive on Netflix. The series has helped break down so many barriers to bringing fans into F1, which has resulted in a new wave of enthusiastic supporters, especially in the US.

COTA boss Bobby Epstein was honest about the impact Drive to Survive had on the Austin race, pointing to his role in selling tickets for the 2021 race on Netflix series hit new highs worldwide.

It was ironic, therefore, that much of the conversation this week about Drive to Survive has surrounded its drawbacks, instigated by comments from Max Verstappen in an interview with the Associated Press earlier this week.

“From my side as a driver, I don’t like being there,” said Verstappen. “They faked a few rivalries that didn’t really exist. So I decided not to be a part of it [it] and then didn’t give any more interviews, because then you can’t show anything anymore. “

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, with Helmut Marko, consultant, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Verstappen’s point of view is certainly justified. In the latest series that rounds up the 2020 season, one of the episodes revolved around McLaren and the internal team dynamics between Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lando Norris. Their partnership was a deeply rooted rivalry that saw the gloves pulled off after Sainz moved to Ferrari. Sainz was also central to a rivalry featured in the second season of Drive to Survive that centered on his battle with Daniel Ricciardo for the midfield lead.

PLUS: How Netflix builds on a winning formula in Drive to Survive Season 3

A number of other factors were also hailed during Drive to Survive to provide a better or more dramatic plot. Things like the portrayal of pit calls, constructors’ battles and driver changes – think Christian Horner’s “Welcome to Red Bull” call to Sergio Perez at the end of season three – are not entirely accurate and can be a little annoying for some F1 fans.

The way rivalries are hammered has even become part of meme culture in the F1 social media sphere. Following this year’s incidents, fans have put together parody “How Drive to Survive Will Portray …” videos that garnered hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube, using extreme exaggeration and clever editing to keep fans entertained.

But it speaks for Verstappen’s point of view. In the AP interview, he even referred to when he and Lewis Hamilton collided during the post-qualifying interviews at Imola and said, “It’ll probably be possible”. (Someone did just that on a parody video in May).

So has Netflix gone too far with the creative license used in Drive to Survive, especially if the league leader no longer wants to participate?

Well worth remembering what the purpose of the series is. F1 fans who want a completely accurate season review have long found out that this is not what Drive to Survive seeks to achieve. The whole point of the series is to elevate the personalities and characters that make up the F1 grid, make them more accessible to the casual athlete – and shed a new light on certain areas even for avid fans of racing.

The key is in the name: Drive to Survive. Think about what that actually means. Yes, there is an inherent danger in motorsport as we all know, but that is not what the avid supporters focus on when they sit down to watch a race. It’s about competition. However, in an attempt to attract a wider audience, the Formula 1 risk factor is hyped up on Drive to Survive – after all, what other sports have it? For this reason, crashes are often dramatized and provided with additional sound effects.

George Russell, Williams FW43B removed after a spin-off in Turkish GP practice

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Verstappen was largely the only one among his colleagues who accepted such a problem with Drive to Survive’s portrayal of Formula 1.

“Yes, they create a certain drama,” said Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez. “The way they sell the sport is a bit of a drama. I can imagine it’s a show. But at the end of the day, it’s good for the sport and it’s good for the fans. I am happy with it.” “

“I agree,” added Lando Norris. “You can choose a lot of things that almost go in and don’t go in. I think it’s a cool thing. Especially when you come to America there are so many people who are now in Formula 1 just because they saw Drive to Survive , and I think I came across well with it. “

McLaren boss Zak Brown has spoken frequently about the benefits of Drive to Survive.

“It has propelled a younger fan base; it has propelled a much larger following,” he said. “It really made an impact in America.

“I think it’s businesslike with a little bit of theater and that’s what television is. I think it does what we as a sport would like to do, which is attract a lot of new fans. I think it has been very successful . ” . “

Brown is on the money. There are some plays that hardcore F1 fans may not fully appreciate, but the truth is, they are not Drive to Survive’s target audience. Again, the series is not intended as a season review.

Mercedes had its own concerns about the impact of Netflix and the possible distraction when the first season was filmed through 2018. But Toto Wolff quickly realized that the benefits were enormous and needed to be maximized.

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, and the McLaren team celebrate Italian GP victory

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

“We weren’t excited about Netflix at the beginning because we wanted to focus on performance on track – and I was wrong,” said Wolff.

“It’s clearly a huge success. All over the world it has long been the number one documentary on Netflix and it has become part of Formula 1 and you can clearly see that it is beneficial.

“We are a sport and we have to stay true to the values ​​of sport and not have any gimmicks – but sport is entertainment and I think these guys have given us a new perspective, a new dimension.”

Anecdotally, earlier this year, this author had a chat with one of the producers of Drive to Survive about the show’s impact in the United States. He told a story of how a few years ago, in a hotel in Austin, he met an American family who had become fanatical Esteban Ocon fans who had previously been uninterested in Formula One. Ocon was a big part of the action in season one when he fell through the grid in the driver market in 2019.

Ocon shared this story on Friday, explaining how he attributed Drive to Survive to saving his F1 career.

“It has [view] of me in tough times where I wasn’t seated and that came out and people could actually see that I really wanted to drive again, “he said.” That probably helped my career come back. I think it’s great that everyone has this access these days. “

With 140,000 fans unpacking COTA on Sunday, creating a busy atmosphere, it’s worth accepting that a small creative license at Drive to Survive can bring greater benefits than the few concerns it can cause.

Just like the first season without Hamilton and Mercedes, Drive to Survive will continue to be a hit, bringing new fans to F1, with or without Verstappen.

Esteban Ocon, Alps A521

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images