Tom Rogers, producer at Box to Box, the company behind the F1 docuseries Drive to Survive, and Liam Parker, director of communications and corporate relations at Formula 1, identify three types of viewers who stream the Netflix series. “The series sparks extra curiosity beyond the day-to-day storylines,” Parker said at a press conference in Bahrain.
According to Parker the series targets three audiences: new fans, fans who have followed the sport for years and people who truly breathe Formula 1. “It adds an extra dimension on top of the standard interviews, the on-track action and the press conferences. You get an insight into what journalists experience day to day,” Parker said.
‘Inevitable criticism’
Rogers adds that you will never please everyone. “The reality is that the die-hard fans inevitably have criticism, but we actually focus on the new fans. It was always intended as an entry point to interest non-fans and to pull existing fans in deeper. I think we’ve achieved that and we continue to do so,” Rogers said.
Parker agrees with Rogers, but acknowledges this isn’t a documentary about Formula 1. “It’s not the usual coverage of every race weekend. The intent is to draw people in and spark interest,” he says. At the same time he’s clear the narratives must stand up. “These people work incredibly hard to make sure the storylines add up.”
‘Large fanbase in Europe’
When new drivers enter the sport, Rogers does see a growth in followers. He’s mainly referring to Latin America. “We certainly saw that at the end of last season and this season with Franco. It’s a huge market, especially for Netflix,” Rogers concluded. The Netherlands is also mentioned. “I think the joke was that virtually every Netflix user in the Netherlands watched Drive to Survive. There is a very large Formula 1 fanbase in Europe.”
Parker also spots growth in the United States thanks to the series. “Netflix has a lot of subscribers there, so there’s great potential to pick up new fans. There are now three races in the US and 52 million fans – that is a massive increase,” Parker says. The eighth season of Drive to Survive premieres on 27 February on Netflix.
