Drive To Survive: A Refuel Of Formula 1’s Following

Lexie Boardman

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Paddock drama served alongside on-track spectacles; the latest instalment of Netflix’s Drive to Survive is here, and overflowing with drama in each action-packed episode, with a much-needed dusting of hilarity across the board.

Behind-the-scenes F1 documentary, Drive to Survive, has driven a new following to the sport that Liberty Media have craved since they took ownership of Formula 1 in 2017. With the Covid-19 lockdowns, more people stayed in and chose to tune in to previous seasons of Drive to Survive. The show is arguably responsible for the sport’s big break into America: NBC say the sport has increased US viewership by 50%.

The fourth series, produced by Box to Box films, follows the jaw-dropping 2021 season, which was undeniably one of the best seasons of the sport of all time. Considering that the 2021 world champion was not participating, the show somehow represented this drama through the extended use of Red Bull team boss, Christian Horner.

The smile of Daniel Ricciardo that had faltered in season three was rekindled in his first season with the historic McLaren Racing team. Relatability was delivered through the loveable Japanese Alpha Tauri rookie driver, Yuki Tsunoda: “When I have workouts, it just ruins my whole day.” These are the personalities that Drive to Survive thrives off. The worst kept secret of the year in George Russell’s ascent to Mercedes is followed, while also putting a spotlight on the new ownership of the Williams team (something that was missing from series three).

Meanwhile, another beloved personality returns to the show: the ever-livid Gunther Steiner. He finds himself struggling to keep his cool with his all-new rookie driver line-up. Steiner expresses his frustrations with the consistently clumsy Nikita Mazepin: “that’s why people hate you!”, he exclaims. Unfortunately, the series failed to mention the behaviour of the Russian driver, in an alleged sexual harassment incident. Though the show does highlight the borderline blackmail that takes place with sponsorship in the sport. In this case it follows the sponsorship from Russian oligarch Dmitry Mazepin, who proudly wore a USSR ribbon throughout the season – all at a controversial time given the crisis in Ukraine at present.

Accuracy is something that Drive to Survive is renowned for lacking – with the last series omitting major elements, creating non-existent rivalries and using incorrect audio throughout. Unfortunately, Box to Box failed to correct these issues in this season. A rivalry between McLaren drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris was fabricated, despite the pair clearly having a positive relationship outside of the series. Despite the Formula 1 season in 2021 consisting of 22 races, Drive to Survive repeated race scenes in most episodes, rather than showcasing the action of other races. As well as this, series 4 saw just 14 minutes of airtime for women, despite more women being involved in the sport than ever before.

Of course, accurately fitting every incident and event between 20 drivers, over 22 races, into ten 40-minute-episodes is going to mean some key proceedings end up missed. For a large chunk of viewers knowing the difference between an MGU-H and an MGU-K, perhaps a bit more attention to detail should be applied. However, the show has undeniably brought a tsunami of new fans to the sport, and even with the inaccuracies, it is a thrilling show and always a must-watch.

Drive to Survive unequivocally does what it set out to do – drive a fresh wave of followers to Formula One. For the newer, more casual fan, clumsy manoeuvres are easily missed. For the more dedicated fan, a pleasant drive through some of the season’s events is always worth a watch, even if, for the most part, it misses the apex.

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Featured image courtesy of  Nico Baum via Unsplash. Image licence can be found here. No changes or alterations were made to this image