Behind the Netflix series Drive to Survive lies a production process in which cooperation with the Formula 1 teams is crucial. “Without their support there is no show,” emphasised Tom Rogers, a producer at Box to Box, the company behind the F1 docuseries, and Liam Parker, Formula 1’s director of communications and commercial relations, during a press conference in Bahrain.
“Everyone was at home and looking for new things to watch. On top of that, during that period we had to completely rethink how we could film.” Formula 1 and the production company worked closely during the lockdown to make the series. “In the end we integrated into the teams. We moved into their bubbles, wore their team kit and lived alongside them,” Rogers said.
‘Enormous volume of footage’
How a season of Drive to Survive takes shape depends on how the Formula 1 season unfolds. Still, the makers aim mainly to give a behind-the-scenes view so fans get to see something different from the race weekend coverage. “Formula 1 is already well served by media coverage. We try to add a behind-the-scenes layer to that,” Rogers explained.
To achieve that they gather an enormous volume of footage. “Each season amounts to thousands of hours of material. A lot we simply can’t use, otherwise we could sometimes make twenty episodes,” Rogers stressed. The unused material ultimately ends up in the archive.
‘Giving input’
Parker points out that many people don’t know the Formula 1 teams get to see their own clips. “They get the opportunity to give input,” Parker said. Rogers underlined how important the relationship is between the production team and the squads. “Without the teams and their support there is no show. There are moments of disagreement, but they also understand the show pulls them out of their comfort zone. That is precisely what makes it compelling,” Rogers concluded.
At the same time Rogers admits mistakes do happen. “Is the show perfect? No. Have we made mistakes in the past? Absolutely. But we never try to put anyone in a bad light on purpose. It’s a human error,” the producer said. Parker added that if something is misinterpreted, it is corrected and there is no intention to deliberately manufacture a false storyline.
‘Fresh perspectives’
Although Rogers himself has been a lifelong Formula 1 fan, that isn’t true for everyone on the production team. That was a deliberate choice. “We wanted to bring fresh perspectives into the sport. People who look at the paddock with a new, curious eye. As long as we keep that fresh viewpoint, I think the series will remain successful,” Rogers said. One example came in season seven, in the episode around the Singapore GP. Several drivers filmed themselves to show what their weekend looked like. “That was a fresh approach. It gave an interesting angle on a race weekend,” Rogers said with pride.
It’s clear both men aren’t finished with Drive to Survive. “As long as Netflix, Formula 1 and the teams want to carry on, we’ll carry on,” Rogers concluded. “It works and brings in new fans, so it’s valuable to everyone. Why stop?” his colleague added. The eighth season of Drive to Survive premieres on Netflix on 27 February.
