44 GP RACING APRIL 2020
“
ot long aftera
winter without
racing the coronavirus outbreak has meant that,
for the time being, Formula 1 fans have been left
without any actionto watch. The only bright light
for those anxious to gettheir fi x is that the hugely
popular Netflix series,Drive to Survive, returned
for series two at theend of February.
As part of the shift towards greater digital
output from F1 commercial rights holder Liberty
Media, Netflix’s cameras were allowed into
the paddock for thefi rst time in 2018, shining
a spotlight on its rich tapestry of characters,
rivalries and stories.
ButDrive to Survivehas achieved morethan
simply being additional content. It has been
a catalyst for itsgrowing fanbase, arguably of
greater importance than anything else seen in
recent years, and has shifted perceptions both
inside and outside the paddock.Netflix has
changedF1 for the better.When it completed its acquisition of F1 in
January 2017, Liberty Media was clear about its
desire to change the championship’s approach to
digital media. Long gone were the days of Bernie
Ecclestone believing the social media boom
would be “very short-lived”. Instead it becomea
key facet of F1’s strategy. F1 became the fastest-
growing sports series on social media which,
while not an insurmountable challenge given
it effectively started from zero, was impressive
nevertheless.
F1 soon identified the need to think
outside the realms of its regular broadcastingCHANGING
PERCEPTIONSagreements. The success of sports documentaries
on streaming platforms such as Netfl ix and
Amazon Video, the latter through itsAll Or
Nothingseries following teams infootball,
American football and rugby, made it a natural
format for F1 to consider.
A bidding war followed. F1 weighed up
impressive offers from both Amazon and Netflix.
Amazon put more money onthe table, but F1
opted to work with Netflix knowing that viewers
would be subscribing to the service purely to
watch content – and not as a bolt-on bonus for
quicker delivery of online shopping.
The decision paid off handsomely.Drive to
Survivewas one of the most-featured shows on
Netflix at the timeof initial release in February
2019, positioned at the top of users’ video feeds.
While F1 fans could be counted upon to seek out
the show wherever it was, the possibility now
existed for all viewers to stumble across the show
and, potentially, become fans ofthe sport.
Such a growth in awareness of F1 has been
noted throughout the paddock. Daniel Ricciardo
was one of the stars most closely followed
through thefi rst season, and said he could notice
the difference in his own profile as a result.
“I spend a bit oftime in the United States, and
up until ayear ago, not really anyone would say
‘hi’ to me – not in a bad way, but theywou ldn’t
recognise me for being an F1 driver,” Ricciardo
said onThe Daily Showwith Trevor Noah, one
of America’s biggest chat shows.
“And now it’s: ‘We saw you onNetflix, it was
great,Drive to Survive.’ We wear helmets, so not
really many people can see our faces a lot of the
time. So putting a face to a name, that helped.”
Pierre Gasly,whose turbulent 2019 season
is revealed in unprecedented detail during the
second series ofDrive to Survive, noted a similar
change:“Even peoplethat didn’t really know
much aboutFormu la 1 started to watch this,and enjoyed the stories. Ithink the TV audience
has increased partlythanks tothis. I think it’s
great, that’s wha t we want. If we do Formula 1, it’s
thanksto the people whoare watchingus as well,
and if that num ber can increase, it’s reallygood.”
F1 managing director of motorsports, Ross
Brawn, said at a pre-seasonevent that he was
pleased with howDrive to Survivehad spoken
to bothexisting fans and potential customers.
“I think it was really greatto show the fans
the other side of F1, because most of the fans
have only seen what goes on at the track or the
interviews at the track,” he said.
“What we’ve discovered is it’s been very
appealing to the non-race fan – in fact itturned
them into race fans. Some of the promoters in the
past season have said they’ve definitely measured
the increase in interest in F1 that has come from
the Netflix series.” F1 reported a 1.85% rise in
average attendance through the 2019 season, and
promoters in both the United States and Mexico
highlighted the impact of the Netflix series on
getting more fans through the gate.
The Netflix impact has also aided F1’s drive
to speak to a younger fanbase, once derided
by F1’s commercial leaders. Remember when
Bernie Ecclestone airilydismissed anyone
unable to afford a Rolex watch or bank with
UBS? F1 reported late last year it has the greatestWHAT WE’VE DISCOVERED IS IT’S BEEN VERY APPEALINGTO THE NON-RACE
FAN - INFACT IT TURNED THEM INTORACE FANS. SOME OF THE PROMOTERS INTHE PAST SEASON HAVE SAID THEY’VE DEFINITELY MEASURED THE INCREASE
IN INTEREST IN F1 THAT HAS COME FROM THE NETFLIX SERIES.“
ROSS BRAWN
44 GP RACING APRIL 2020“
ot long aftera
winter without
racing the coronavirus outbreak has meant that,
for the time being, Formula 1 fans have been left
without any actionto watch. The only bright light
for those anxious to gettheir fi x is that the hugely
popular Netflix series,Drive to Survive, returned
for series two at theend of February.
As part of the shift towards greater digital
output from F1 commercial rights holder Liberty
Media, Netflix’s cameras were allowed into
the paddock for thefi rst time in 2018, shining
a spotlight on its rich tapestry of characters,
rivalries and stories.
ButDrive to Survivehas achieved morethan
simply being additional content. It has been
a catalyst for itsgrowing fanbase, arguably of
greater importance than anything else seen in
recent years, and has shifted perceptions both
inside and outside the paddock.Netflix has
changedF1 for the better.When it completed its acquisition of F1 in
January 2017, Liberty Media was clear about its
desire to change the championship’s approach to
digital media. Long gone were the days of Bernie
Ecclestone believing the social media boom
would be “very short-lived”. Instead it becomea
key facet of F1’s strategy. F1 became the fastest-
growing sports series on social media which,
while not an insurmountable challenge given
it effectively started from zero, was impressive
nevertheless.
F1 soon identified the need to think
outside the realms of its regular broadcastingCHANGING
PERCEPTIONSagreements. The success of sports documentaries
on streaming platforms such as Netfl ix and
Amazon Video, the latter through itsAll Or
Nothingseries following teams infootball,
American football and rugby, made it a natural
format for F1 to consider.
A bidding war followed. F1 weighed up
impressive offers from both Amazon and Netflix.
Amazon put more money onthe table, but F1
opted to work with Netflix knowing that viewers
would be subscribing to the service purely to
watch content – and not as a bolt-on bonus for
quicker delivery of online shopping.
The decision paid off handsomely.Drive to
Survivewas one of the most-featured shows on
Netflix at the timeof initial release in February
2019, positioned at the top of users’ video feeds.
While F1 fans could be counted upon to seek out
the show wherever it was, the possibility now
existed for all viewers to stumble across the show
and, potentially, become fans ofthe sport.
Such a growth in awareness of F1 has been
noted throughout the paddock. Daniel Ricciardo
was one of the stars most closely followed
through thefi rst season, and said he could notice
the difference in his own profile as a result.
“I spend a bit oftime in the United States, and
up until ayear ago, not really anyone would say
‘hi’ to me – not in a bad way, but theywou ldn’t
recognise me for being an F1 driver,” Ricciardo
said onThe Daily Showwith Trevor Noah, one
of America’s biggest chat shows.
“And now it’s: ‘We saw you onNetflix, it was
great,Drive to Survive.’ We wear helmets, so not
really many people can see our faces a lot of the
time. So putting a face to a name, that helped.”
Pierre Gasly,whose turbulent 2019 season
is revealed in unprecedented detail during the
second series ofDrive to Survive, noted a similar
change:“Even peoplethat didn’t really know
much aboutFormu la 1 started to watch this,and enjoyed the stories. Ithink the TV audience
has increased partlythanks tothis. I think it’s
great, that’s wha t we want. If we do Formula 1, it’s
thanksto the people whoare watchingus as well,
and if that num ber can increase, it’s reallygood.”
F1 managing director of motorsports, Ross
Brawn, said at a pre-seasonevent that he was
pleased with howDrive to Survivehad spoken
to bothexisting fans and potential customers.
“I think it was really greatto show the fans
the other side of F1, because most of the fans
have only seen what goes on at the track or the
interviews at the track,” he said.
“What we’ve discovered is it’s been very
appealing to the non-race fan – in fact itturned
them into race fans. Some of the promoters in the
past season have said they’ve definitely measured
the increase in interest in F1 that has come from
the Netflix series.” F1 reported a 1.85% rise in
average attendance through the 2019 season, and
promoters in both the United States and Mexico
highlighted the impact of the Netflix series on
getting more fans through the gate.
The Netflix impact has also aided F1’s drive
to speak to a younger fanbase, once derided
by F1’s commercial leaders. Remember when
Bernie Ecclestone airilydismissed anyone
unable to afford a Rolex watch or bank with
UBS? F1 reported late last year it has the greatestWHAT WE’VE DISCOVERED IS IT’S BEEN VERY APPEALINGTO THE NON-RACE
FAN - INFACT IT TURNED THEM INTORACE FANS. SOME OF THE PROMOTERS INTHE PAST SEASON HAVE SAID THEY’VE DEFINITELY MEASURED THE INCREASE
IN INTEREST IN F1 THAT HAS COME FROM THE NETFLIX SERIES.“
ROSS BRAWN