The Netflix show Drive To Survive showcased the rise of Red Bull in its first season. In fact, it was about the 2021 season when Max Verstappen broke the streak of Lewis Hamilton. On the other hand, the Netflix show popularized motorsport in the USA since its debut season. As a result, there are two more venues for F1 Grand Prix in America. There was the Austin Grand Prix for a long time. But adding to that, now the F1 Calendar has Grand Prix events in Miami and Las Vegas.
It is all because of the impact of Drive To Survive during the pandemic. Since the popularity is starting to grow rapidly, F1 introduced more races and new rules to make the sport more interesting and exciting. Not many F1 drivers are too happy with the increase in GP events on the calendar. And neither are they happy with certain rules, but they can’t deny the popularity of the show. Recently, in an interview on the It’s Been a Minute podcast, the Red Bull boss revealed how the show came into being.
Horner Believes The Netflix Show’s Initial Idea Was All About Red Bull
Moreover, Christian Horner mentioned initially it was only meant to be about Red Bull. As per the Red Bull boss, the makers of the show went to F1 authorities saying they wanted to make a series on the Red Bull F1 team. But the authorities replied, suggesting it should be on all ten teams of the sport. According to Horner, that’s how it all began. But the Red Bull boss is happy that the show has helped the sport gain more popularity.
Moreover, Christian Horner mentioned neither Mercedes nor Ferrari initially liked the idea of the series. Perhaps Mercedes thought they could do a better show on their own, and Horner feels Ferrari is naturally cautious. On the other hand, when the makers came to Red Bull, Horner revealed that they embraced the idea. Moreover, the Austrian team was like, “Okay, come and see who we are.” But the Red Bull’s boss is glad after how it turned out.
The Impact Of Drive To Survive Especially In The USA
Mercedes won the constructor title in the 2021 season as well. However, Max’s victory in 2021 was symbolic because of what happened next. From the next year, there has been no stopping Red Bull or Verstappen. The Austrian team won the constructor title after winning 17 races last season. Moreover, Max Verstappen alone won 15 races, breaking Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel’s records of 13 wins in a season. Adding to that, Max Verstappen is on his way to breaking his own record this year.
And the first season of the Netflix show gained a lot of fan following because the 2021 season was highly exciting and thrilling. Unfortunately, the following F1 seasons, in 2022 and the current one, have not been as exciting or competitive. Red Bull is enjoying an unprecedented hegemony at present. Nonetheless, the debut season of Drive To Survive was such a huge hit that fans from all over the world became obsessed with the show and gradually with the sport. Especially in the U.S., where Formula One was never that popular because of NASCAR’s huge fan following, they started watching Formula One intently as the impact of the Netflix show.
