GP RACING APRIL 2020 47
F1’S
POST-NETFLIX
FUTUREunfolded: “That didn’t really distract anything,
although theresult wasn’t great in Hockenheim
for us. I t hink they didit really professionally, and
they knew when they hadto stepaway and when
they could beinvolved and so on.
Charles Leclerchad previously worked with the
Netflixcrew in 2018while at Sauber,makin g hi m
the only memberof the Ferrari team who had an
idea of what to expect.But he didn’t feelF1’s most
famous team got any special treatment.
“In the waywe work,last yearthey only did
one race with us,”Leclerc says. “But then we
didn’t have Netflixwith us for the rest of the year,
which was the only difference[compared with
Sauber] to be honest.”
Although accessto Mercedesand Ferrari
was limited, theupside was th atne ither tea m
came to dominate the secondseries. Some stories
that are often skippedover in mainstream media,
such as those of Haas,Toro Rosso and McLaren,
continuedto be the big themes. It didn’tbecome
The Mercedes andFerrar i Show.
There was, however,some negative reaction to
the series, most no tably fromMax Verstappen.
“I don’t think it was the real me,” hesaidinan
interview withABtalks. “The problemisthey will
always positionyou in a way they want.”The hugebuzz aroundDrive to Surviveshows
little sign of dying down. Although there has been
no official announcement, filming for athird
season is already underway after crews were on-
site for pre-season testing in Barcelona.
The success of the seriesshows how important
new media outside of thetraditional pay TV
model have have become for F1’s future. “This
kind of TV, like Netflix and Amazon, is nowstandard,” says Steiner. “I think there are fewer
people who don’t have it than have it. Netflix
don’t give numbers, but apparently [the series] is
successful –why would they do more? ”
The challenge for F1 will be to continue to
engagethe fanbaseit has built through Netflix.
It’s noticeable that the film-makers take some
liberties to amplifythe on-track drama – such
as suggesting Max Verstappenpassed Sebastian
Vettel for third place in Australia on the last lap
when it happened shortly after half-distance.Perhaps that says more about F1’s on-track
product – but it’s also an element the commercial
rights holder is working on for 2021 and beyond.
Accessibility is key. While many customers
are happy to paythe Netflix fee for its wealth
of content, racing fans have been vocal in their
dislike of F1’s gradual move towards pay-TV
platforms. Could the perceived success ofDrive
to Survive– even if Netflix doesn’t divulge
viewing figures – be an argument for F1 to
consider more free-to-air race coverage in future?“
HAVING CAMERAS AROUND, IT DOESN’T NECESSARILY BOTHER US
BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND THELONG-TERM IMPACT OF WHAT THOSECAMERAS ARE DOING
“
CLAIRE WILLIAMS
GP RACING APRIL 2020 47
F1’S
POST-NETFLIX
FUTUREunfolded: “That didn’t really distract anything,
although theresult wasn’t great in Hockenheim
for us. I t hink they didit really professionally, and
they knew when they hadto stepaway and when
they could beinvolved and so on.
Charles Leclerchad previously worked with the
Netflixcrew in 2018while at Sauber,makin g hi m
the only memberof the Ferrari team who had an
idea of what to expect.But he didn’t feelF1’s most
famous team got any special treatment.
“In the waywe work,last yearthey only did
one race with us,”Leclerc says. “But then we
didn’t have Netflixwith us for the rest of the year,
which was the only difference[compared with
Sauber] to be honest.”
Although accessto Mercedesand Ferrari
was limited, theupside was th atne ither tea m
came to dominate the secondseries. Some stories
that are often skippedover in mainstream media,
such as those of Haas,Toro Rosso and McLaren,
continuedto be the big themes. It didn’tbecome
The Mercedes andFerrar i Show.
There was, however,some negative reaction to
the series, most no tably fromMax Verstappen.
“I don’t think it was the real me,” hesaidinan
interview withABtalks. “The problemisthey will
always positionyou in a way they want.”
The hugebuzz aroundDrive to Surviveshows
little sign of dying down. Although there has been
no official announcement, filming for athird
season is already underway after crews were on-
site for pre-season testing in Barcelona.
The success of the seriesshows how important
new media outside of thetraditional pay TV
model have have become for F1’s future. “This
kind of TV, like Netflix and Amazon, is now
standard,” says Steiner. “I think there are fewer
people who don’t have it than have it. Netflix
don’t give numbers, but apparently [the series] is
successful –why would they do more? ”
The challenge for F1 will be to continue to
engagethe fanbaseit has built through Netflix.
It’s noticeable that the film-makers take some
liberties to amplifythe on-track drama – such
as suggesting Max Verstappenpassed Sebastian
Vettel for third place in Australia on the last lap
when it happened shortly after half-distance.Perhaps that says more about F1’s on-track
product – but it’s also an element the commercial
rights holder is working on for 2021 and beyond.
Accessibility is key. While many customers
are happy to paythe Netflix fee for its wealth
of content, racing fans have been vocal in their
dislike of F1’s gradual move towards pay-TV
platforms. Could the perceived success ofDrive
to Survive– even if Netflix doesn’t divulge
viewing figures – be an argument for F1 to
consider more free-to-air race coverage in future?“
HAVING CAMERAS AROUND, IT DOESN’T NECESSARILY BOTHER US
BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND THELONG-TERM IMPACT OF WHAT THOSECAMERAS ARE DOING
“
CLAIRE WILLIAMS