My wife hates sports but loves reality TV shows with a great narratives.<\/p>\n
We watched 8 episodes of Series 1 of this on Friday and ended up watching qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix together today (and she has NEVER watched a sporting event with me). We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to watch the race together tomorrow.<\/p>\n
This show is great because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about all the amazing stories of the 20 drivers that fill the 20 hottest seats in the sporting world (well the 19 apart from Lewis Hamilton, whose story we already know)<\/p>\n
I had taken so little Interest in F1 since Hamilton and Mercedes had become dominant and didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t realise that Bernie had sold out to Liberty Media. Now I understand why this show and F1 is going to grow to another level. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like sport and Simon Cowell\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s X Factor rolled into one.<\/p>\n
Sports\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 narratives are all the rage: the stores behind those that compete at a high level but aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t necessarily the winners.<\/p>\n
This series can be filed alongside the more modest show about Spanish Soccer made by Amazon called \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Six Dreams\u00e2\u20ac\u009d which also celebrates great sporting stories.<\/p>\n
Once again you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re bang on trend Bob.<\/p>\n
Best<\/p>\n
Gordon Charlton<\/p>\n
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Entranced by it! Got my 6yr old son to start watching Races with me Sunday mornings. \u00c2\u00a0Can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t wait to travel the world with him to see a race one day.<\/p>\n
Netflix is driving culture.<\/p>\n
charly salvatore<\/p>\n
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This is one of the best shows on TV! I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m amazed more people aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t talking about it. We got addicted as a family to the first season, the one you are on, during lockdown and we just finished season 3. We didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know a thing about Formula 1, didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even know who Lewis Hamilton was other than a famous race car driver, and now we are dying for more! You will love each season more than the last. And it will confound you how one team and one driver can be so dominant in a sport that seems relatively even in technology and human capacity. But not so. And thus this is the only sport I know of where we spend most of our time rooting for teams 2-6.<\/p>\n
The access is incredible. So smart of this sport to humanize everyone involved. Especially when trying to expand beyond its stronghold everywhere outside of the US.<\/p>\n
Glad you found this and gave it a chance.<\/p>\n
Larry Weintraub<\/p>\n
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Never thought I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d see you talking about f1! There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so much history, scandal, and drama to sink your teeth into. The show is great and how I got into it as an American a few years ago. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a bit over-dramatized but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s helped so many Americans get into the sport and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all because of Liberty. They opened the sport to the people, making the drivers and the teams (and their stories) more accessible. The previous owner was apparently behind the times and wanted to keep everything behind the curtain (like the record labels, what a coincidence!)<\/p>\n
Smoothie<\/p>\n
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I got into Formula 1 in my teens thanks to the emergence of Jacques
\nVilleneueve, but like a number of other Canadian fans my interest in
\nthe sport waned as he faded. Years later while on tour, my Production
\nManager is telling anyone who would listen to check out this show
\nand…now I watch every race..most qualifiers…even practice
\n(practice!) whenever I’m able. I heard that season 3 of Drive to
\nSurvive went to #1 worldwide on Netflix when it debuted earlier this
\nyear, while races on TV are hitting record ratings levels in the US,
\nUK, and Canada, surely thanks in major part to Netflix. Can’t say I’m
\nsurprised.<\/p>\n
Paul Gagnon
\nToronto<\/p>\n
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Just a tiny detail but the reason why neither Ferrari or Mercedes feature much in the first season is because they refused and wanted to protect their image. The first season was so successful on NF and as you rightly point out, generate so much interest for F1 that they agreed to be part of it afterwards.<\/p>\n
Pascal Degove<\/p>\n
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I was going to F-1 races starting in 1973 so I am a true believer, but Netflix hit it out of the park with “Drive to Survive” I know three different people who wouldn’t go to a car race if you paid them who are now intensely following F-1 directly as a result of this series.
\nThe reason you see very little of Lewis Hamilton in season 1 is because Mercedes and Ferrari would not agree to the terms of access. After they saw the success of the show, they quickly changed their tune.
\nEnjoy the season this year. It’s shaping up to be a huge battle between Hamilton and Verstappen. BTW you may or may not know this, but Lewis Hamilton is mixed race. His mother is white and his father is from Grenada. Just add his name to the other great mixed race individuals who excel in their chosen professions. I.e.: Prince, Derek Jeter, Barack Obama, Naomi Osaka, Kyle Larson (race car driver) Tiger Woods.
\nRegards,
\nJan Burden<\/p>\n
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Glad to read you dig it! Season 2 has more teams: from the success of season 1, and the exposure the pilots received, Mercedes and Ferrari accepted to be filmed. Season 3, during the pandemic, is the best so far; can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t wait for you guys to watch it!<\/p>\n
Thanks to this show, seems like more Americans are interested in this sport (my friends are looking at the results, have their \u00e2\u20ac\u0153favorite\u00e2\u20ac\u009d drivers). This season there will be a race in Austin, Texas in October and next year we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have the Miami Grand Prix!<\/p>\n
Thomas Duport<\/p>\n
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I was so skeptical when Liberty bought F1 from Bernie Ecclestone. I thought, oh no, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to become another NASCAR, but to their credit, they have made it more accessible and fan friendly in the best way possible. Yes, their streaming app has a ways to go before it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s as good as the MotoGP app (another global motor sports extravaganza that is virtually unknown to American audiences), and sometimes the gap between the well-funded teams and their lesser-funded brethren is still too stark, but the sport is far more engaging than it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ever been. Tremendous advances in driver safety, where now it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rare that a driver gets hurt let alone killed, unlike the 60s and 70s, have kept the focus on drivers as world class athletes as opposed to odd balls with a death wish (no offense to the pioneers of the sport who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of motor racing). Kudos to Netflix, in particular their executive Brandon Riegg who spearheaded the effort, for creating an extraordinary and humanizing series that has done more to promote F1 than anything else in recent memory. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s almost better than watching the racing! (Almost). All we need is some women behind the wheel and hopefully that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just a matter of time.<\/p>\n
Chris Day
\nLos Angeles, CA<\/p>\n
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100% agree with you, Bob. My brother turned us on to Formula 1 on Netflix a few months back. We were instantly hooked. My wife maybe even more than me, and she’s not in any way a car person. She’s drawn to it by the backstories, the glamor and the money.<\/p>\n
You mentioned the in-pavement cameras from WWS, but what about this show? They have cameras literally everywhere, not to mention the radio chatter between driver and crew. It pulls you right into the experience.<\/p>\n
For sure, it’s a not to miss little gem on Netflix.<\/p>\n
Check this out on some of their salaries!<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.sportingfree.com\/f1\/formula-1-pit-crew-members-salaries\/<\/p>\n
Burke Long<\/p>\n
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One of the best series on Netflix. Only gets better with each passing year. And Hamilton, and Mercedes, definitely become more involved in the filming over the next 2 season. I do believe they realized their miss from the 1st season. Great show. Actually made me care about and start watching f1, hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t since the days when I was a child and spent Saturday\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s tuned to Wide World of Sports and Jackie Stewart\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n
Funkright<\/p>\n
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Spot on! \u00c2\u00a0I’ve been an F1 fan for 26 years, but the Netflix show is better than watching the whole season. \u00c2\u00a0This show is a much-needed condensed version for the person who hasn’t the time to watch every F1 Event. \u00c2\u00a0I watch it all, but I have little interest in other sports, so that’s just me. \u00c2\u00a0But the show is a well-produced summary of the stories, athletes, family backstories, politics, and excitement between the lulls of cars parading quickly through each track. Today’s drivers are so much more skilled than when I started watching in ’96. There are less offs and shunts because these drivers are indeed well-oiled clean-living athletic machines! \u00c2\u00a0I got my wife to watch F1 when we met on the premise that you she wouldn’t see much in the way of bad-boy off-track behavior, cheap shots, course language and negative character flaws that show themselves in other pro sports (e.g. drugs, drunken foolishness, assault etc.). \u00c2\u00a0Which has been refreshing that that story line is still mostly true in F1 – these drivers have to live on a clean edge in body and mind to have a chance to participate in F1 let alone win.<\/p>\n
Eric Neumann<\/p>\n
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devour this entire series, without missing Lewis for a second. There is SO much content! The money! The safety! The tech! My god, the amounts of it are grotesque and enviable in comparison to any other sport. Not one of these people want to see another die just to race another day. And it is so well-produced, as if they couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re interested. They are telling their stories. Hamilton could be a whole season, but they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve captured what he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s truly up against: a psychotic 16 year old that knows his car probably won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t kill him. Whoa.<\/p>\n
Terry Gottschalk<\/p>\n
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Bob,
\nI was never a car guy\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6just never had any interest. Until I watched Drive to Survive. \u00c2\u00a0And I am hooked\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.obsessed even. \u00c2\u00a0I find myself reading about tire composition and slipstream dynamics. \u00c2\u00a0The science and engineering make as much of a difference as driver skill level. \u00c2\u00a0Fascinating sport. \u00c2\u00a0And the Netflix series made these drivers reality stars.<\/p>\n
F1 is one of the biggest $$$ sports globally, and the drivers are huge stars in Europe\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6but has historically not taken hold in the US. \u00c2\u00a0That is about to change. The new Miami GP, and a rumored Northeast US GP set to be announced soon\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.we are about to see the rise of F1 in the US\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6and these drivers will become US celebrities.<\/p>\n
The power of Netflix!!!<\/p>\n
Glad to hear you are now a fan!<\/p>\n
Rudy Falco
\nLongtime Lefsetz reader.
\nBabaBooey!<\/p>\n
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Yup – it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the noise. Used to go to Grand Prix at Brands Hatch when I was a kid…you could wander around the pits for an extra five bob (shillings) and even get Graham Hill\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s autograph if you were lucky – mesmerizing. and then I went to the last US Grand Prix in Austin (pre-pandemic); a great local hook-up and some moxie (…like the old days of just walking into any gig if you carried a metal briefcase!) and I was up in the Director\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s box. It was fantastic…and, as ever, the noise. And the champagne. And Hamilton. And my brother beside himself with jealousy back in the UK.
\nF1 is the Dog\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Bollocks. NASCAR pales mightily by comparison.<\/p>\n
Hugo Burnham<\/p>\n
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My wife and I randomly watched season 1 of Formula 1 last Spring and were instantly hooked.\u00c2\u00a0 We binged season 1 and 2 and waited anxiously for the arrival of Season 3 and were not disappointed.\u00c2\u00a0 We were not race car fans then.\u00c2\u00a0 I don’t\u00c2\u00a0know that we are race car fans now but we looking at the race results every second Sunday.<\/p>\n
Steve Waxman<\/p>\n
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Ken Hensley, one of the founders and keyboardist for Uriah Heep was deep into F 1 about the same time as George Harrison. I believe I recall him mentioning George in that context. Ken is still touring Eastern Europe, both as a solo and with his own band, from his base on the south coast of Spain.<\/p>\n
Norm Willis<\/p>\n
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F1 is akin to touring the biggest rock n roll show In the world , the drivers are the rock stars and as you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll discover it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a game of big boys with their toys generally reserved for wealthy families who can put their boys through the years of go carting to be eligible for a spot in this circus of power .
\nIn Lewis Hamilton\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s story as you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll see he came up the ranks with no money plus being a black kid he was not expected to go all the way in a very much white bread profession .
\nAnyways it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an extraordinary series with some extraordinary statistics on how they tour this behemoth of an operation.
\nGunter from Haas is the standout I think with the hardest gig , Toto is the tactician and Christian Horner is the fallen king of the grid since the resurgent Mercedes but he has the pop star wife in tow .<\/p>\n
Great series<\/p>\n
Warren Bernard Amster<\/p>\n
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A co-producer friend of mine got me to watch Drive To Survive. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an F1 fan, and after I binged this series, I became an F1 fan. I even downloaded the F1 Mobile game for my iPad Pro. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m watching the races and playing the game – all because of that damn show and how engrossing it was.<\/p>\n
The pitstops are incredible with how fast they can switch tires and a front wing. Usually in about 2 seconds. AMAZING!<\/p>\n
The question I have is also about the money. I see a lot of it going out, but is the air-time worth that much that it offsets what is spent? This is also a concern expressed by Hamilton in a recent interview. Claiming that the sport will no longer allow poorer families (i.e. those who are even millionaires) to compete in the future as now multiple billionaires are buying their son\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s way to the top.<\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve also told several people they need to watch the series, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that good.<\/p>\n
Jody Whitesides<\/p>\n
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Hell Yeah! It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s amazing can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t wait for the next season!<\/p>\n
Julien Jorgensen<\/p>\n
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Same!!
\nI got instantly hooked!
\nIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so good!
\nI watched all 3 seasons in 2 weeks.
\nWord is season 4 is coming 2022.<\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve always been interested in Indy.
\nBut it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not the same.<\/p>\n
We have an Indy series road race coming to Nashville this year.
\nI\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve looked into tickets.
\nI can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t wait to go.<\/p>\n
Alex Torrez<\/p>\n
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The following two seasons are even better. And the last one, just out this year, is my fav, as it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more about the characters and not the race. It made me a fan. Today, Monaco, was amazing!<\/p>\n
Sincerely,<\/p>\n
Edwin Rojas<\/p>\n
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Bob – love the series too. You think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an elitist sport and you learn some of its best drivers come from working-class families. And the pressure! Podium is akin to an add at KIIS FM (if that were still a thing). By the way, is there a bigger star than Lewis Hamilton??? \u00c2\u00a0F1 reminds me that my sandbox is not the center of the universe and that cool can exist outside of America.<\/p>\n
Joe Reichling<\/p>\n
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I look forward to checking out F 1. Went to Watkins Glen with George Harrison. Got into all the pits, met all the drivers.<\/p>\n
Bob Meyrowitz<\/p>\n
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“Remember when George Harrison got into F 1? He was on to something\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Yes, indeed. Especially the single \u00e2\u20ac\u009dFaster\u00e2\u20ac\u009d commemorating the two Swedish F1 drivers Gunnar Nilsson and Ronnie Peterson.<\/p>\n
Nilsson died of testicular cancer just one month after Peterson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fatal accident at Monza\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6..<\/p>\n
Best,<\/p>\n
Morten Dahlgren<\/p>\n
https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Faster_(George_Harrison_song)<\/p>\n
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You are totally correct about the F1 series. There are numerous YouTube videos about F1 economics, logistics, etc. This one explains the unbelievable amount of money involved, where it goes and some interesting side deals with certain teams.<\/p>\n