Drive to Survive documentary helping bring in new generation of US F1 fans

Formula One will revel in its new found success in the US at this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix. The sport is resurgent in the country F1 has long wanted to break and a key factor has been the popularity of the Netflix documentary series Drive to Survive. Little wonder then that the streaming service chose Miami as the backdrop to announce the series has been recommissioned for a further two seasons.

F1 is holding two races in the US for the first time since 1984, with Miami and the US GP in Austin. Next year it will add Las Vegas to the mix. The sport’s owners, Liberty Media who took over F1 in 2017, have made no secret of their ambition to build F1’s profile in the US, and Drive to Survive has been vital.

Team principals have acknowledged the part the TV show has played in bringing their sport to a wider audience, even while some drivers such as Max Verstappen have criticised that it is played for dramatic effect to sell a narrative.

Verstappen has a point but the format unquestionably chimes with viewers. In Miami the American former world champion Mario Andretti emphasised the part the series had played in revitalising interest in his home country.

“It was always said that F1 was the Olympics of motor racing and it was well received, always respected in every way but it’s picked up a new fervour now,” he said. “Especially the way it was exposed in Drive to Survive. That’s rekindled something but also brought on some new interest which is good, it’s fabulous for the sport.”

The series was launched in 2018 and season four, which premiered this year, attracted its biggest audience yet, achieving the Netflix top 10 status in 56 different countries. The audience growth watching the sport in the US has been steady since then