For those that don’t know, Drive to Survive is a netflix documentary / reality series about Formula 1.
For many of us, that never really “got” formula one, seeing the behind the scenes drama and decisions, and then seeing the highlights of the races…we understood the appeal of the sport. And letting Netflix do this was a genius move for formula 1, which significantly grew its audience, particularly in the US.
However, season 7 has left me completely cold, as did the last few series (I’ve watched all series, but from about season 4 onward I was regularly fast-forwarding through sections). I also tried and failed to get into the NASCAR series.
I think the problem is, the focus now is 100% on the people and the result. Whereas previously there was some allusion to why this or that car was quicker, and some of the race tactics. Nowhere near enough in my view, and taking it out completely, there’s just nothing left.
These guys are very talented but they don’t tend to be the deepest personalities, and when race tactics come down to “you really need a good result in this race” for everyone, always, it doesn’t make for the most compelling TV.
Liberty Media has, in general, done an amazing job since taking F1 promotion over from Bernie. While, yes, one of their great moves was DTS, they’ve opened up access to teams and drivers in myriad other ways in the last 7 years, thus rendering a lot of the things covered in DTS redundant.
Netflix has gotten a lot worse, and I have to assume some of that has bled over to DTS. Manufacturing drama was always part of the DTS playbook, but now it’s all they try to do. That feels like something they’ve done to try to stay on the Netflix front page.
The first season of DTS didn’t have access to the top teams. This made it more of an interesting supplemental to existing fans. Once all the teams came on board, it became a bit redundant. Mostly we watched and said, “Oh yeah, I’d forgotten about that” again and again.
I did also watch the NASCAR version, but that one seemed doomed to fail based on the number of drivers and the chase to the cup format.
Netflix cancelled the Tour de France/pro cycling version after the next, third season. Which I don’t think will be a bad thing. That version won’t really have a chance to get bad. Although these types of shows tend get boring, hit all the same notes, become irrelevant for old fans in my opinion.
It’s frustrating though because I think there is potential with this kind of show but I think they really want to make it like Americas got talent, or heck, the Bachelor.
(I was going to say “Ramsey’s kitchen nightmares” but there’s always at least a bit of info on cooking and restaurant management in that)
And I guess the contract must have got meaner with how much of the race they can show. Which makes no sense to me as obviously real F1 fans will have watched the season as it happened.
I enjoyed a few seasons of DTS. Watched maybe 3-4 before we cancelled our Netflix subscription. It was basically a glorified soap opera, shedding light on this glamorous world of wealthy globetrotters I had never really thought of before. Now, a couple of years since I last watched it, I still notice the occasional F1 story in the local sports section. There was one in the paper today that I skimmed.
I enjoyed a similar series - Full Swing - about pro golf. That was a little different, because Im a long time golfer, and used to be reasonably interested in the tour. The pro golfers are generally so “packaged” that it was interesting to see them in their homes, with their families, in the locker rooms, etc.
I like DTS because during the race season I watch the races, but don’t much follow the insider drama within and between the teams. Unlike the OP, I don’t need DTS to go into the technical details about how the teams improved the cars; I know enough about that from watching the races.
DTS gives me more insight into the personalities of the drivers and team principals than I ever get from race coverage, as well as the struggles the drivers have in managing their careers as they and their rivals move between teams, or leave the series. (Bye bye, Daniel )
And thanks to DTS, I’ve gained a lot more respect for a number of drivers (but not Max Verstappen).
As an F1 fan who watches every practice session, qualifying and race and reads multiple daily F1 news site, I watch DTS mainly because I’m starved for F1 content since the end of the previous season. It’s good for a recap of last season, plus you get to see all the main players choking on they’re collective irritation of being asked the same stupid questions over and over. I could do without the manufactured drama, but it’s usually not too egregious. But yes, I would love it if they went more into the technical bits of the individual cars and such.
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