The Netflix series has proven to be a crucial marketing tool for Formula One in attracting new audiences, and it's not hard to see why it has been such a success
It was always the case that when Liberty Media purchased Formula One for £3.3billion in 2016 that it wanted to take the pinnacle of motorsport in a different direction. As a multimedia company, it had the resource, expertise and understanding to build up a global sporting brand like Formula One to maximise the growth potential it had to reach new audiences.
Social and digital platforms were an underdeveloped area and were targeted to drive this expansion. Under previous owners CVC Capital Partners, and former Chief Executive of the Formula One Group Bernie Ecclestone, social media was almost discounted as a commercial tool. It appears its capacity to engage with its global audiences and fanbases on a vast scale were not really comprehended.
However, a concerted effort to exploit the untapped multimedia tools has pay dividends in Formula One reaching out and engaging audiences watching across the globe. In adopting this approach, the pinnacle of motorsport was the fastest growing sport in the world in terms of follower growth in 2021, which increased by 40% in 2021 to 49.1 million, as of February 2021. Formula One also had the highest engagement rate with social posts compared to other global sporting brands too.
In building that bridge with audiences and fanbases via social and digital platforms, Formula One is connecting with a broader pool of people, thereby interacting with demographics across the social economic spectrum. This is a no brainer for the pinnacle of motorsport, as most fans are unable to travel across the globe from race to race. It’s not as accessable as football, where fans can travel from game to game.
"By unleashing the potential of social and digital platforms, the pinnacle of motorsport is outperforming other global sporting brands"
These hidden audiences have not always been particularly valued previously, yet they make up the lifeblood of Formula One. By unleashing the potential of social and digital platforms, the pinnacle of motorsport is outperforming other global sporting brands, which really is rather remarkable when you consider the type of sport it is, how expensive it is, and how elitist it is.
Nevertheless, the skyrocketing popularity of the pinnacle of motorsport hasn’t been exclusively down to harnessing the power of social and digital platforms. Another part of the rapid rise of Formula One has been the Drive to Survive series that streams on Netflix. The exclusive docuseries gives viewers intimate insight into drivers and teams in the paddock from the previous racing season.
So, when the first season of Drive to Survive premiered in March 2019, it followed the 2018 season. Fast forward to March 2022, and the fourth season has recently premiered featuring the 2021 season. It was widely considered to be one of the closest and intense, interesting and exciting Formula One title fights ever seen in the history of the sport, between drivers Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, and teams Mercedes and Red Bull.
There are ten episodes in season four of Drive to Survive, and each one takes a closer look at some of the intriguing aspects that define the 2021 Formula One season. At the same time, it follows the on-track action and off-track drama as the rollercoaster ride progresses from the first race event to the last. There are many different dimensions to the pinnacle of motorsport, and Drive to Survive sheds light on what happens behind the sporting cut and thrust.
"the upshot is that it has attracted a different kind of audience to Formula One, and more specifically, a younger demographic"
Netflix classify the Drive to Survive production as a docufiction, which means a cinematographic combination of documentary and fiction. So essentially, the sporting spectacle has been dramatized into an entertainment show. The result works better than you might think. It really isn’t hard to see why it has been so popular, and the upshot is that it has attracted a different kind of audience to Formula One, and more specifically, a younger demographic.
It is an influential marketing ploy, and has yielded the upturn in interest that the pinnacle of motorsport would have wanted, and has transformed its appeal. For the purposes of my Drive to Survive review, I shall be focusing on episode ten, which is called Hard Racing. It follows the contentious season ending, title deciding 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. And the controversy that engulfed and consumed Formula One and the FIA was a script practically made for Netflix.
Even though I obviously knew what had happened in Abu Dhabi, recounting this particular episode as a Lewis Hamilton fan was difficult, I could sense a lot of emotions resurfacing in me that I didn’t quite expect. What happened cut deeply and was rather damaging. It reopened old wounds that were healed. Nevertheless, it is necessary to speak of what occurred that day, to remember yourself, to remind others, but this time through the Netflix filter.
Despite the heightened significance of episode ten, it actually starts off quite casually and relaxed. Some drivers and team bosses enter the Yas Marina paddock making small talk commentary. This informal juxtaposition contrasts rather well with the more formal and serious backdrop, which of course overshadows the entire race event. You get the impression that Netflix tries not to be a burden for drivers and teams during the making of Drive to Survive.
"you can feel the palpable tension of the Abu Dhabi race event coming through the TV screen"
Each episode is interspersed with drivers and team bosses giving exclusive interviews about the current affairs of Formula One, which not only adds great insight, but you get to know the personalities of the people involved. With the format made accessible for casual viewers, it introduces the pinnacle of motorsport to another type of audience who perhaps are not first and foremost fans.
But that’s not to say it can’t be watched by people who are already fans of Formula One, because it can be, and it’s intriguing to watch it through a different lens. Yet the production feels like it has been made as a stepping stone to Formula One itself, as it attempts to convert Drive to Survive viewers into watching the actual Formula One sporting events. In that respect, Drive to Survive nails its brief.
As a marketing tool, it has been a crucial element in the growth of the pinnacle of motorsport, and in that regard, it has proved to be a resounding success. In the interview segments with drivers and team bosses you get to know the characters of Formula One, which does add human connection to the robotic perceptions when you watch the race events. It’s this portrayal of emotions and feelings in Drive to Survive that you can resonate with.
In episode ten, you can feel the palpable tension of the Abu Dhabi race event coming through the TV screen. It takes you from Qualifying on Saturday to the race on Sunday, and the nerve shredding twists and turns that took place. You can sense the intense rivalry that Mercedes and Red Bull have; the tribal warfare between the two was as ferocious as any you could possibly imagine duelling competitors would be when vying for the biggest prize in motorsport.
"for Verstappen to be crowned the first ever human error champion in the history of the sport is quite an achievement in my view"
The Drive to Survive production conveys Formula One as a sort of soap opera; the conversion from sporting spectacle to entertainment show convinces you in reality more than it might in theory. The quality of the documentary is polished and glossy; the footage sharp and crisp, the background music suits the tense circumstances and is influential in shaping the viewer experience of an edgy title fight.
Overall, Netflix has interpreted the pinnacle of motorsport very well. However, I do have a few criticisms. The production has been said to stretch the truth with quotations that are out of context. These manufactured exaggerations aren’t accurate or plausible, and such examples can have the tendency of misrepresenting individuals. Nevertheless, such instances are not frequent, so it doesn’t spoil the experience much, though you can’t help taking it with a small pinch of salt.
The only other real criticism which relates exclusively to episode ten of Drive to Survive is that Netflix didn’t really show the bitter aftermath with the FIA when Mercedes appealed the race result because the race director broke the sporting regulations that orchestrated a specific outcome. The off-track politics would have been box office and integral in explaining why the 2021 title was won by the wrong driver.
It’s obvious to discern why. To display that aftermath would show up the FIA in a bad way, and essentially invalidate the race result, and tacitly admit that the title outcome was illegitimate. It would not have been good PR and would have definitely given the wrong impression of the pinnacle of motorsport to Drive to Survive audiences. From a marketing perspective, to disclose that the race director malfunctioned would have been damaging to the image of Formula One, as well as embarassing and awkward for everyone, so Netflix must have thought best not mention it.
"Drive to Survive has become an integral cog in the media and marketing machine of Formula One"
But that’s not the point, and in the interests of integrity and transparency, and in holding itself accountable to scrutiny, Netflix should have done a segment on the aftermath about how Formula One became the epicentre of dispute between Mercedes and the FIA. It must not be forgotten, and to not include that fallout is tantamount to censorship. Deep down, people know who should have won that day, they just won’t admit it. Still, for Verstappen to inadvertently be crowned the first ever human error champion in the history of the sport is quite an achievement in my view.
Aside from this specific issue, and Drive to Survive has become an integral cog in the media and marketing machine of Formula One. Netflix has opened up the pinnacle of motorsport to a new global audience and has worked wonders in attracting new fans to the sport. Despite the legitimate criticisms, Drive to Survive has become a fundamental tool to advertise Formula One and has played a significant role in the expansion of the sport. It is therefore fulfilling its purpose and shall likely continue to draw new audiences towards the sport in years to come.
Photo: 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
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