The show is a crash course on the 10 teams, the 20 drivers, their rivalries and the structure of the racing competition. Word of mouth for the series along with short, easy-to-watch episodes made it a perfect pandemic binge watch for millions of people around the world.
The series’ intimate interviews, combined with the best racing action and high-level drama, set a strong tone for the real-life spectacle of Formula 1.
The multifaceted stories allow fans to focus on the aspects of the sport that appeal to them most. Most importantly, “Drive to Survive” prepared fans for an easy transition to the track as the 2021 season kicked off.
There was a record attendance at the US Grand Prix in Austin in October – drivers also write the docuseries for the growth of the sport, including Hamilton himself.
Title race excites
New fans are important, but it’s critical that they stay with the sport.
This year’s constant action on the track anchored by the title fight between Hamilton and Verstappen has fulfilled the second part of that equation.
Eyes around the world will be on all 58 laps on Sunday in Abu Dhabi, the final race to determine who takes home the title. Until the last round, every second of the season was and remains a nail biter.
All the variables that resulted in the two drivers achieving the exact same score en route to the final have held the fans’ attention throughout the season.
Think of Verstappen’s car that stood on top of Hamilton’s after the Monza crash or the smoke ominously rising from Hamilton’s brakes seconds before the restart in Baku.
The best racing is when the two are racing, wheel to wheel, as if they were during the early laps of the British Grand Prix.
Sprint qualifying, a format introduced over three weekends this season, was seen by the entire community as a controversial addition to the sport. Nevertheless, it offered something new for fans who welcomed the extra racing.
However, it’s hard to ignore how white and men dominate the sport.
The FIA, the sport’s governing body, also has some work to do to make the rules more transparent and easier to follow.
Commentators do their best to understand the stewards’ decisions, but sometimes they even scratch their heads — drivers and team penalties often seem completely arbitrary or poorly explained.
Fan accessibility remains a challenge. Some of that is built in because F1 is a global sport with just over 20 events a year.
Those restrictions make attending a race weekend expensive. For American fans eager to make it to a race, there is good news: a race in Miami next season means two races in the US for the first time since 1984.
After the exciting highlight of this season comes the anticipation for the next, with new car designs and some changes to the driver lineup.
Season four of “Drive to Survive” is also upon us. All of that adds to the feeling that so much more can come out of the sport.